THE CORSICAN PINE IN DORSET. 45 



5. The Corsican Pine in Dorset. 



By Jamks M'Callum, Canford, Wimborne. 



Thirty years ago the Corsican pine was proclaimed as the 

 tree of the future, and was widely advertised as a substitute 

 for larch. In these later years we hear little about it, but, 

 nevertheless, under certain circumstances, it has much to 

 recommend it. 



It is a rapid grower, free from serious injury by disease or 

 insect attack. The timber, when grown under suitable con- 

 ditions, is tough, elastic and resinous, and it does not warp 

 or split (Dorset people call it "mild"); and since it takes 

 creosote readily, there is nothing to prevent its becoming a 

 substitute for larch. Grown in dense canopy, it forms a 

 round full stem, with little taper ; and since its branches 

 grow horizontally, or with a slight droop, they are rarely torn 

 away from the stem by snow, neither do they rub and lacerate 

 their neighbours in the way that Scots pines do. But these 

 qualities are not maintained when the trees are grown in 

 isolation ; under such conditions they develop wide and branchy 

 heads. 



A deep root and a well-balanced head prevent their being 

 easily uprooted by gales, and it is rare to find a leaning or 

 crooked tree. The greatest objection to them is the difficulty 

 of moving them successfully ; even in the nursery they often 

 fail unless great care is exercised in transplanting them. My 

 own experience is that if the seedlings are transplanted at 

 one year old, and are moved every year until ready for planting 

 out, there is not much risk, unless the soil is of particularly 

 bad quality, such as cold clay. It is also an advantage to 

 plant them out early in autumn or very late in spring. 



The following particulars refer to plantations on the Canford 

 Estate : — 



No. I. — -This is a mixture of pinaster, Scots and Corsican 

 pines, with a few Austrians, planted 36 years ago. The 

 pinasters have shot ahead and suppressed numbers of the others, 

 as they always do on this soil, but they are all crooked 

 and twisted, as they will not "stand up" here. The Scots 

 pines have grown fairly well, but are now beginning to 

 die off as the canopy opens out. The Austrians are merely 

 shrubs. The Corsicans, where they got clear away, are 



