126 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



moment, find out the real cause, but I think it is a matter of 

 great interest; and if, therefore, anybody would undertake to 

 investigate it, I beg to mention that these facts were observed 

 at Glenstriven, the obliging owner of which, Mr Berry, who is 

 interested in forestry, would no doubt be glad to have the matter 

 made clear. 



Frosty and saggy earth, strong irony soil, barren gravel or 

 sandy ground, as well as shallow soil on rocky ground, ought to be 

 avoided. A good beech-wood ground, with a slope towards the 

 south or west, would perhaps best suit the larch, which needs a 

 deep and good soil, as well as an ample supply of air and sun 

 to the crown. 



4. During the period of rapid growth the larch-wood ought to 

 be carefully conserved. Thinning must be begun as soon as the 

 trees begin to grow into each other with their (crowns) branches, 

 whence the danger of pressure from the side arises. All diseased 

 trees — but first of all those infected with the fungus — must be 

 removed and destroyed. It is not good to allow the thinnings to 

 remain lying in the wood. I had long vainly looked for the 

 Peziza in a wood about eight years old ; but when I crossed a 

 shooting-ride cut through the wood, where the felled trees were 

 left lying about, I immediately, upon examination of the felled 

 trees, found the fungus I was looking for. Of course it is very 

 bad to break or cut green branches from growing trees. 



5. It would be difficult to settle whether the larch ought 

 to be raised in mixed or in pure plantations. For myself, I 

 am inclined to prefer a mixture of larch and beech in which 

 two rows of beech and one row of larch are planted, with 

 a distance of 2 feet between the rows ; or, as in the annexed 

 diagram, where the beech is marked with o and the larch 



x o o x 



with x : The mutual distances of the larch 



o o o o 



x o o x 

 trees would in this case amount to 6 feet. Next to this mixed 

 plantation, the unmixed one may be preferred, with a distance 

 of 5 feet between the rows. When the pure larch-wood has 

 attained an age of thirty to forty years, it ought to be under- 

 planted with beech or silver fir. The common spruce (A. excelsa) 

 is not so good for this purpose. As experience shows, it is too 

 intolerant, and even very old oak and larch woods that have been 



