154 THE LAECH. 



cent, or a little less than half that of the best oak 

 coj^pice bark. The fertilising properties of larch bark 

 are very considerable, and, according to an analysis by 

 Liebig, it contains 2.95 per cent, of soluble salts and 

 97.05 of insoluble salts; the latter consists of 64.95 

 of carbonate of lime, 0.93 of magnesia, 5.03 of phos- 

 phate of lime, 4.18 of phosphate of magnesia, 1.04 of 

 peroxide of iron, 2.42 of alumina, 17.28 of silica, and 

 1.79 of loss. A glance at these analyses will convince 

 any farmer of ordinary intelligence of the value of 

 larch or fir bark as a manure, especially for clay lands ; 

 and even after having served the purposes of the 

 tanner, it constitutes an excellent fertiliser, for although 

 it has lost its soluble salts in the process, it has gained 

 in the acquisition of nitrogenous animal matter. 



The demand for larch bark is considerably on the 

 increase, but the price is correspondingly declining. 

 Mr. Culbard, Elgin Tanworks, says the price of bark 

 in 1868 was £2, los. per ton, and in 1877 it was 

 ^4, 15 s., chopped, bagged, and delivered free at the 

 Tanworks at Elgin. 



J. M. Eorsythe, forester, Cavers, Hawick, sold bark 

 this year at ^3, 5s. per ton in the rough state, equal 

 to ;^3, I2s. chopped; and Mr. Scott, Tanworks, Lang- 

 holm, this year gave £^, los. per ton, and in 1876 

 he paid for the same description of bark chopped, 

 and free delivered at Langholm Tanworks, £6 per 

 ton. 



Mr. John Edward, forester, Abercairney, says : " We 

 here dispose of a quantity of larch bark every year, but it 



