2/4 THE LARCH. 



stroyed, and the ground repeatedly planted, ultimately, 

 after a lapse of years, they spring up as if by magic, 

 and produce quite a thicket, from which the ground 

 as much longs to be clear as before it did for plants to 

 cover it. 



Tenth. Most trees show their state of maturity and 

 ripeness by the appearance of the outer bark, but it is 

 not so with the larch. The bark of some trees would 

 lead to the conclusion that they are young and of rapid 

 growth, while the rings or zones are so small as scarcely 

 to be counted. Others, again, appear as if the growth 

 was nearly over, and the tree decaying of old age, 

 while the growth and formation of wood are going on 

 more rapidly than at any other period of its life. 

 The growth and health of the tree are at all times 

 best determined by the appearance of the spray and 

 branches and the fruit or cones. By a wise Providence, 

 when a tree begins to decay it makes an undue effort 

 to perpetuate its kind by leaving a succeeding progeny 

 behind it when gone. Trees thus unduly laden with 

 cones are always diseased, although such disease does 

 not always terminate fatally. They may, however, 

 be safely regarded as an indication of an abnormal 

 condition of health. 



Eleventh. After about thirty or forty years old, 

 when the ground is dry, the plantation may with 

 advantage be depastured with sheep during summer, 

 and also in winter except in severe weather, when 

 they bark the exposed roots, which should in every 

 case be strictly guarded against. 



