THE FAILURES OF THE LARCH. 65 



that these native larch forests predominate on the northern slopes 

 of the mountains ; that the larch is not particular about where 

 it grows, and seems only to fear extremes. Marshy grounds are 

 the only ones it essentially dreads, nor is it found on those that 

 are often too dry. " What appears to be most necessary to the 

 larch is, that it have its roots in a soil habitually but modei-- 

 ately damp, and its top exposed to the direct rays of the sun." 



" Larches generally thrive on the declivities of our mountains, 

 seldom on fiat places ; because on declivities there is always a 

 little dampness in the earth, coming from the summit ; and at the 

 same time the trees, on account of the inequality of their bases, 

 have more space at their tops and are better exposed to the light ; 

 whereas flat places are often too dry, and the trees being all of 

 the same height, overshadow each other. Among declivities, these 

 which are connected with summits covered with perpetual snow 

 are those where larches grow best." 



Those descriptions of the situations in which the native larches 

 thrive best, are in conformity with the experiences of home planters ; 

 and were larches only planted in such, growers would have little 

 to fear from either of the fore-mentioned injuries, nor would the 

 larch bug become very hurtful, provided clean young plants were 

 planted, and that the young plantations were sufficiently removed 

 from old infested ones, to prevent contamination. 



III. The larch bug or blight (Adelgis laricis of Vallot, and 

 Coccus laricis of previous authors). — In the winter or leafless period 

 of the year bug-infested larches are readily distinguished by the 

 darkish colour of their bark, the somewhat reflexed or drooping 

 appearance of their branches and branchlets, and notably, by 

 the abbreviated as well as attenuated growths of the previous 

 season. Microscopic examinations of the expanding buds in 

 spring show them to be thickly covered with the so-called bugs 

 and their eggs, the former emitting a honey dew-like discharge, 

 which in the warmer portions of the day may often be fairly said 

 to " wet with misty showers " the trees themselves, as well as 

 the undergrowing herbage, and even the clothes of underwalkers, 

 covering all with a hurtful, honeyed viscidity. 



Unless checked by adverse weather or other causes, these 

 insects go on breeding successively and abundantly throughout 

 what may be termed the active growing season of the larch, the 

 successive broods becoming winged in due time, and flying away 



VOL. VIII., PART I. E 



