PINACE^ 285 



greater measure of success than most other trees. It is perfectly 

 hardy against winter frost, but is liable to suffer in districts where 

 late spring frosts and bitter winds are experienced. The best 

 results are obtained by planting in deep, fertile soil overlying 

 sandstone or limestone, or in deep, porous, gravelly soils. Water- 

 logged soil must be avoided ; the tree is adversely affected by 

 drought. It requires full light and a free circulation of air, and 

 is usually planted in pure woods which may be underplanted 

 with a shade-bearing tree when the larch is about half-grown. 

 When planted as a mixed wood the comjDanion trees should be 

 shade-bearers, such as beech or silver fir. 



Young plants are usually given permanent places when from 

 2-4 years old, and where the ground is loose notch planting is 

 usually practised. It is advisable, however, whenever possible, 

 to break up the ground and subsoil before planting. The trees 

 in the earliest plantations formed by the Duke of Atholl were 

 spaced 6 ft. apart, and they appear to have given satisfactory 

 results Since that time, however, a good deal of planting has 

 been done at 4 ft. apart each way. Whilst it is impossible to 

 lay down hard-and-fast rules on the matter there appears to be 

 little to be said for too close planting, especially at a time when 

 both labour and plants are dear. On good soil, where growth is 

 likely to be rapid and losses few, the plants may well be spaced 

 5ft. apart; on poorer land, however, where more weaklings are 

 likely to occur, closer j^lanting would be an advantage. Planting 

 operations may be carried on at any period during open weather 

 between the fall of the leaves and the middle or end of March, 

 the earlier the better, however, in most districts. Plantation 

 trees usually grow very rapidly in height and the lower branches 

 die whilst small. At this period the heads become thin and grass 

 usually grows beneath the trees if under- j)lanting is not practised. 

 The full height may be reached at the age of 40-45 years, after 

 which girth growth is more rapid. At 30-40 years of age, many 

 trees are of telegraph-pole size, or larger, and it may be more 

 profitable to fell trees at 40 years of age than to allow them to 

 stand and mature at 80 years. At 20 years the trees have a 

 large percentage of heartwood, and are suitable for fencing and 

 pit-props. Even the early thinnings at 12 or 15 years are useful, 

 particularly for rustic work and pergola poles. 



All the diseases mentioned under the generic description 

 attack the common larch, whilst young trees are often injured 

 by the pine weevil {Hylobius abietis). Vigorous young trees have 

 good recuperative powers after sudden injury, and trees killed 

 almost to the ground by fire have been loiown to produce vigor- 

 ous erect shoots from dormant buds near the ground. Michie^ 

 mentions a tree that grew on peat which, crowded by other trees, 



^ Loc. cit, p. 29. 



