26o TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARIiORICUL'J URAL SOCIETY. 



the demand for seedlings leading, to a certain extent, to forcing 

 by means of artificial manure, in order to have them of a size 

 large enough to transplant after one season's growth. 



In a good rooting medium this method of producing rapidly 

 a good-sized plant may have little or no bad effect on the after 

 life of the tree, but indiscriminate forcing on all classes of soil 

 is bound to tell sooner or later on the stamina of the plant. 

 Numerous cases of i-year seedlings and of i-year i-year trans- 

 plants wiih bad leaders have been seen and heard of within recent 

 years, and there is more than a suspicion abroad that undue 

 forcing, among other evils, prolongs the growing season and 

 does not allow of the proper ripening of the shoot. One 

 redeeming feature of the tree lies in its ability readily to form a 

 new leader and straighten itself up quickly, even in the first 

 growing season, after losing the original shoot. A "pious 

 opinion" as to what constitutes a good seedling would be out 

 of place in an article such as this, but, undoubtedly, a sturdy, 

 medium-sized plant with abundance of "fibre" is superior to a 

 lanky overgrown one. 



Rapidity of growth in this country is an acknowledged 

 characteristic of this species, at least in its earlier life, and this 

 must be taken into account in deciding the age at which it is 

 most advantageous to plant the tree in its permanent position. 

 This quality ought also, to a certain extent, to decide as to the 

 position in which it should be planted. Indiscriminate planting 

 of the European larch has taught us a lesson that ought not to 

 be forgotten, and it is to be hoped that this knowledge will lead 

 to better results in the case of the Japanese larch. We are told 

 that its habitat is Central Japan, and that it attains to its best at 

 about 2000 feet elevation. This fact ought to decide against 

 planting it in soils and situations, near sea-level for instance, 

 where it flourishes and grows apace, certainly, but where, from 

 analogy, we are justified in concluding that it cannot attain to its 

 best development. The earlier specimens planted in this country 

 were looked upon as tender exotics, and were given situations 

 where climate, soil, etc., combined to produce prodigious 

 growths that could not be maintained for any lengthened 

 period. The leading shoot, stimulated beyond the normal, 

 could not stand erect, and this may have given rise to the 

 impression that its leaders rambled about a good deal. The 

 more or less sudden culmination of growth of the Japanese larch 



