DISEASES OF CONIFEROUS TREES. l^i 



(3) Birds. 



Unless in a few instances, the injury committed by birds to 

 coniferous trees is not very great. 



Black gSLVne are, perhaps, the worst enemies, but, fortu- 

 nately, it is only in Scotland that their ravages are at all 

 serious. The Scotch, Austrian, Corsican, and Weymouth 

 pines would seem to suffer most, and on a large estate in 

 northern Scotland thousands of trees have in a single season 

 been denuded of almost every bud by these destructive birds. 

 Smearing the young trees with Davidson's composition, or 

 keeping boys to drive the birds off, are the only known means 

 of lessening the evil. 



The Crossbill when unable to procure its more natural 

 food — coniferous tree seeds — will attack the buds of certain 

 species of Finns and Picca. These birds appeared in vast 

 numbers and attacked the buds and cones of the Scotch pine 

 to such an injurious extent in plantations in northern Ireland 

 some years ago, that men had to be employed to shoot them 

 down wholesale. 



The Bullfinchi too, has been known to commit great 

 damage in larch plantations by attacking the buds, particularly 

 in early spring when other food is scarce. 



The Capercaillie does great damage to young pine 

 and larch woods in Scotland by destroying the terminal and 

 other buds and shoots. The attacks are mainly confined to 

 P. silvestris and rarely to the spruce {Picea excelsa) and larch, 

 while the berries oi Jimiperus communis are eaten in quantity. 



(4) Diseases. 



These are many, but only such as are ot special interest to 

 the cultivator of coniferous trees in this country, whether from 



