REPORTS OF THE SWEDISH FORESTRY RESEARCH INSTITUTE. 99 



alongside seeds of Tyrolese origin, and planted out in 1907. 

 The average height-growth shows a slight difference, but 

 "most striking, however, is the greater straightness of the 

 Scottish larch." Of these, only 1-5 per cent, were c, and io'3 

 per cent, (c) trees, " while the Tyrolese larch gave 31*5 per cent, 

 extremely crooked trees {c and cc trees), and 19-5 per cent, less 

 crooked trees (c)." Gunnar Schotte is of the opinion that the 

 Scottish larch is not the product of 150 years' growth in 

 Scotland, but that it is probably due to the isolation of a 

 race " with hereditary good characters." This idea is pro- 

 bably correct if we consider mainly those larches which 

 originated from parents on the Dunkeld estates. It is evidently 

 from this source that the older Swedish larches came. The 

 author also attempts to account for the presence of crooked 

 stems in larch. These, he says, may be due to heredity or to 

 direct injuries. Injuries caused by frost are indicated as one 

 of the causes. This is, no doubt, true, but we incline more to 

 the idea that the crookedness is often hereditary. When the 

 leading shoot of the larch is lost and a side shoot takes its 

 place, the result is more often an easily recognised "kink" 

 than a decided bend. Nor can the wind always be blamed 

 for the crookedness of stems. 



After a full investigation the author comes to the conclusion 

 that if larch is to be grown in Sweden it must not be from 

 Tyrolese seed but rather from seed of Scottish or Silesian origin, 

 or best of all from the straight-growing woods that exist in 

 the country. 



In Chapter III., E, the silvicultural characteristics of the larch 

 are discussed, and an account is given of its productivity. The 

 mixture of Scots pine and larch is often condemned, and it is 

 rather interesting to note that the author considers this com- 

 bination has advantages either in group or single stem mixture 

 where the quality is good for pine (ro — 0*4). An admixture of 

 20 per cent, is considered advisable. He hesitates, however, to 

 recommend the mixture of larch and spruce owing to increased 

 liability to larch disease due to partial suppression and also to 

 the attacks of Chermes which this mixture might favour. He 

 rightly points out that the mixture of larch with pine or spruce 

 can occasionally improve the financial return. 



There are seven chapters devoted to different species of larch. 

 A long account is given of the Siberian larcn, which is evidently 



