236 CONIFEROUS TREES 



is difficult to dispose of at any but firewood rates. 

 That of the Scotch, being better known, finds a 

 ready market at about half the price of Larch, 

 which latter, after all, is the most useful and 

 profitable of any of the coniferous trees planted 

 in this country, as the demand for this always 

 exceeds the supply. 



The Douglas Fir {Pseudotsuga Douglasii) is 

 in certain situations a valuable timber-producing 

 tree ; but to grow it to perfection good soil and 

 sheltered valleys are quite a necessity. Had we 

 the canons and deep hilly gorges of some of the 

 North American States, there can be little doubt 

 that the Douglas Fir, from its suitability to our 

 climate generally, would be one of the most valu- 

 able timber-producing trees that we could plant. 

 In this country, under peculiarly favourable cir- 

 cumstances, I have known the Douglas Fir to 

 produce 240 feet of timber in fifty years, or nearly 

 5 feet per year for half a century. In taking the 

 average size of the trees in a plantation formed 

 twenty-two years, the dimensions were as follows : 

 height, 76 feet ; girth of stem at 24 feet, 4 feet ; 

 cubic contents fully 50 feet ; thus giving an annual 

 increase in wood of 2J feet. The average cubic 

 contents of each tree in another wood, mainly 

 composed of the Douglas Fir, was nearly 2f feet 

 per annum for thirty-five years. By way of 

 experiment I had several large trees cut up, and 

 utilised for estate purposes — fences, door-posts, 

 boat masts, etc., and with fairly satisfactory 

 results. I do not want to say one word against 

 this my favourite fir, but the truth must be told, 

 and my own experience, gained principally on a 



