HARDY CONIFEROUS TREES 99 



Carriere.) Japan. 1861. — This is a beautiful 

 species, and from what is already known of it, 

 seems to be well suited for planting as an orna- 

 mental tree in this country. It is of slower and 

 smaller growth than our common species, with 

 longer leaves, and smaller and differently shaped 

 cones, they being ovate, and less than i inch in 

 diameter. The long leaves make this species 

 appear far more light and airy than the common 

 form ; while the young foliage is of a glaucous 

 green, but this soon gives place to the darker 

 colour of the mature specimen. In loamy peat it 

 thrives well, but is usually of slow growth, although 

 in south-western Scotland I have known fully 

 2 feet to be added to the height for several succes- 

 sive years. At Brocklesbury Park the average 

 annual growth for seventeen years was 2 J feet. 



L. occiDENTALis, NuttulL West American 

 Larch. (Synonym: Pinus Nuttallii, Parlatore.) 

 British Columbia, Oregon. 1881. — In its native 

 country this is a large-sized tree, the timber of 

 which is said to be of great economic value, being 

 largely used for fencing and railway ties. The 

 thick, coarse bark is a peculiarity of the tree, that 

 has the protective merit of long resisting forest 

 fires. Young trees grow freely in this country 

 when planted in good fresh loam. The foliage is 

 light and feathery, and the cones, judging from 

 specimens that have been forwarded to me for 

 comparison, are longer than those of either our 

 common species or the American Black Larch. 

 On loose, dampish ground the Western Larch 

 has attained to nearly as large a size as our 

 common species, but the timber is not considered 



