270 ON THE riNUS PINASTER OR CLUSTER PINE. 



exposure. Plants introduced twelve years ago are now over 

 twelve feet in height, and have a circumference, at 1 foot from 

 the ground, of 12 inches. Last season's growth measured, 

 in some instances, 15 inches. In the north of Scotland generally, 

 the Pinaster has not been very wddely introduced. Most of the 

 examples of it to he met with are quite young trees. Many 

 foresters object to it from its difficulty in bearing being trans- 

 planted with safety. This arises from its tap-rooted tendency, 

 to which reference has already been made. But this objection 

 ean be cjuite easily overcome by planting the young trees out 

 into plantation ground from the nursery where reared, while 

 still small, — say from the two-year seed-bed. There are few 

 specimens of P. Pinaster in Scotland of a cone-bearing age and 

 size. Some good large trees are occasionally to be stumbled 

 upon in individual positions, but not grown or massed together 

 for timber purposes. For example, at Hopetoun, Linlithgow- 

 shire ; growing near the coast of the Forth, there is a fine "tree, 

 33 feet in height, and 42 inches in girth, at 3 feet from 

 the ground, 3-1 inches at 8 feet up, and 21 inches at 16 feet up. 

 It is 25 years old, and is grown in light soil, of a loamy nature, 

 and with a gravelly subsoil. It is exposed to the south, and is 

 well sheltered from the east wind. At Muirhouse, in IMidlothian, 

 to the M'est of Granton, and in a position quite ' within the 

 influence of the sea breeze, there are good specimens of Pinaster, 

 as follows : — 



No. 1, 25 ft. in height, girth at 1 ft. up, 4 ft. 10* ; at 3 ft. 4 ft. 9 in. 

 No. 2, 30 ft. ,^ „ „ 5 ft. lO" ; „ 5 ft. 2 „ 



No. 3, 30 ft. „ „ „ 5 ft. 31 ; „ 5 ft. 2 „ 



In this instance, the soil is sand for many feet deep ; the 

 altitude is simply sea-level ; the exposure is to the north and 

 east, and the trees are sheltered from the strong inlau'l west 

 winds, but stand within a few feet of high water when there 

 are spring tides. Some of this species in this locality have 

 recently died rather suddenly, and from no apparent cause ; 

 probably owing to the tap-roots having now penetrated the sand, 

 and found an uncongenial substratum of clay or rock, the 

 spongioles of the rootlets have got waterlogged or killed, and 

 thus caused the death of the trees. 



At Brodie Castle, Nairnshire, there is a fine thriving and healthy 

 specimen of Pinus Pinaster, 36 feet in height, 4 feet 6 inches in 

 girth at 1 foot from the ground, and 4 feet 3 inches at 5 feet up, 

 and which has been planted for thirty-three years. It is grown in a 

 very sandy loam, with sand subsoil, and is in alow-lying situation. 



In England, the Pinaster of large size is much more generally 

 found than in Scotland, but even there its introduction has not 



