124 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



easy to find trees spoiled with the fungus. From this I arrived 

 at the conclusion that no species of the needle-trees that are most 

 important to forestry are free from attacks of fungus of one kind 

 or another ; but that the larch, even as a wood, has rather greater 

 qualifications, in spite of the attacks of fungus, for giving a rela- 

 tively good percentage per acre of material suitable for timber 

 than the fir (P. silvestris), and equally great as the spruce (A. 

 excelsa), and probably also as the silver fir (A. pectinata). If so, 

 and if you take into consideration the timber of the larch, 

 which is technically very superior to that of all other needle- 

 trees, it seems to me that instead of bringing it into discredit, to 

 the advantage of its rivals inferior in value, it would be very 

 much worth while to spare no pains for its preservation. The 

 moist climate, and mild, rainy winters of Scotland are very apt 

 to facilitate the spread and growth of the fungus; and it is there- 

 fore of the greatest importance to watch diligently and carefully 

 from the very first, and during the growth, that nothing is left 

 undone which in any possible degree might help to shut out or 

 limit the fungus. What can and must in this respect be done con- 

 cerning the larch ? 



Before answering this question, I beg to state that, of course, I 

 am doing so without any pretensions to authority, and only in the 

 interest of the good cause, hoping that something of what I say 

 may prove acceptable, and be beneficial to the culture of the larch. 



1. First of all, I shall have to emphasise the importance of 

 using only perfectly good seed — that is to say, seed gathered at 

 the right time from first-class mother-trees as regards soundness 

 and form of growth. Nothing can induce me to accept the view 

 that the quality of the seed is independent of the quality of the 

 mother-tree. It seems quite impossible, for instance, that a tree 

 of which the sap is infected with the poison of the fungus would 

 be able to leave an equally healthy and good offspring as a strong 

 tree uninfected with disease. Is it not more reasonable to believe 

 that in this respect the same conditions prevail as in the 

 animal world, where chronic and even temporary diseases of the 

 blood have a degenerating effect on the offspring? The well- 

 known fact that a diseased tree carries cones much earlier than 

 a sound one does is a special pi*oof that the health and the off- 

 spring of the tree are intimately related to each other. Accord- 

 ingly, gather in cones only from straight-grown, strong, and quite 

 sound trees, and do this as late as possible — that is, just before 



