LARCH SEED. 183 



indigenous elsewhere, and but seldom produces natural seedlings, 

 except in its natural home.^ 



Now the whole district alluded to above (from the Maritime 

 Alps to the Carpathians) appears, according to meteorological data, 

 to possess a continental and not an insular climate. 



It is probable that throughout this, its natural area, the larch 

 enjoys at least 1700 hours of sunshine annually. In the south- 

 west part of this range it may receive 2200 and probably has 2000 

 hours of sunshine (5). As no part of Scotland receives so much 

 as 1400 hours of sunshine in the year, there is obviously a great 

 difference in climate, at any rate in this respect ; and it seems 

 probable that the seed is not able to ripen and mature so 

 efficiently in Scotland. 



Meteorological data are often unsatisfying, and it would be 

 interesting to know whether the Scottish seed differs in weight and 

 size from continental and especially Tyrolese seed. The seeds are 

 variable both as to size and weight. They are from 3 to 4 

 millimetres long, and weigh from 43 to 8 "3 milligrammes (on an 

 average 5-9 mgr.). These figures, cited by the same authors (4), 

 depend, no doubt, on a large number of careful measurements. 

 I have not found any similar data regarding size and weight of 

 Scottish seed. 



I have compared samples of Scottish seed from one of our best 

 nurseries with European larch seed. I do not lay much stress 

 upon the result, for, of course, one cannot judge all Scottish larch 

 seed from a single sample. As a matter of fact, in this particular 

 case, the continental seed was superior in every respect. The 

 foreign seeds were larger and heavier, a higher percentage sank in 

 water, and, which was especially noticeable, there was very much 

 less rubbish in the foreign sample. 



This line of research is, however, invidious and possibly unfair. 

 One could only be sure that Scottish seed, as a whole, is lighter and 

 smaller than continental European seed after personally gathering 

 seed both in Scotland and on the continent, and in several 

 localities, and carefully measuring all the seed gathered. To do 

 this properly a regular biometrical research would be required, and 

 this has not, so far as I know, ever been attempted. 



On the whole, it seems to me certain that whether, owing to 



^ Natural seedlings are common enough at Kirkennan, and also at 

 Drumtochty, where they spring up so abundantly on wood roads that they 

 have to be cut over with the scythe. 



