140 ON THE DISEASE OF THE LARCH. 



XIII. On the Disease of the Larch. By D. F. M'Kenzie, 

 Forester and Overseer, Meldrum House, Old Meldrum. 



The larch is the most popular as well as the most useful of our 

 timber-producing conifers. It is popular for its rapid growth, its 

 hardy nature, and its fine natural appearance ; and it is useful, as 

 its timber may be applied to most of the purposes to which pine, 

 and in some cases hardwood, is adapted. Its timber is of long 

 duration when of proper age before being felled. During recent 

 years it has been found to become diseased in many of the planta- 

 tions in Britain, and consequently many landed proprietors who 

 had planted the tree largely have been disappointed, and the loss 

 in many cases is great. It has been asserted that the larch has 

 undergone a constitutional change; some arborists allege that 

 since the Dunkeld larches were planted our climate has consider- 

 ably modified. But both of these theories are unfounded, and are 

 proved to be so by the laws of physiology. Others hold the most 

 opposite views regarding the cause of the disease, such as degener- 

 acy in the seed, atmospheric influences, ungenial climate, insects, 

 fun°i, etc., etc. All these are held to be the cause of one and the 

 same disease. But where disease exists, there is always sufficient 

 evidence to prove its origin, provided one takes the trouble to 

 carry out the investigation further than by mere ordinary observa- 

 tion. 



The writer having had considerable experience in the general 

 management of woods, felling the various kinds of timber, and 

 reclaiming land from which timber had been felled, the planting 

 of larch, and disposing of large quantities of it as timber, in various 

 forms, both in England and Scotland, has long since been firmly 

 convinced that, by judicious planting and after-management, larch 

 could still be planted with profit and advantage. The varieties of 

 larch are numerous, but those chiefly planted in Britain for their 

 timber are the red and white flowering varieties. The former is 

 the best timber one of the two, the latter, though it grows more 

 freely while young, and though no more liable to general debility 

 than the other, is more tender in foliage, and seldom attains 

 the same dimensions. 



The diseases to which the tree is liable are many, but I shall 

 only observe those of most consequence : (1.) Disease of the roots 



