290 A HANDBOOK OF CONIFERS 



Mr. George Leven, forester to the Duke of Roxburgh, ^ con- 

 siders that there are at least three types of Japanese larch which 

 he describes as " fissure-barked," " flake-barked," and " smooth- 

 barked," which can be picked out with comparative ease in a 

 plantation. The fissure barked type is most common and most 

 luxuriant, whilst the smooth-barked type is most liable to injury 

 by Chermes. 



The wood from mature trees is very similar in appearance 

 to that of European larch. It is hard, durable, and employed 

 for house building, ships, telegraph poles, earthworks, etc. 



As the Japanese larch has not attained maturity in this 

 country, it is not possible to say at present how it will compare 

 with European larch when grown under similar conditions, but 

 from tests carried out on pit-wood of similar age it appears to 

 be decidedly inferior. 



A report on the comparative strength and durability of 13- 

 year-old Japanese and European larch, carried out at Hodbarrow 

 mine, Cumberland, in 1915, gives the following results -^ 



The pieces of larch were each placed on supports 4 ft. 6 in. 

 apart and subjected to gradual pressure at the centre by means 

 of a screw, having a pitch of | in., turned by four men at the end 

 of a lever : 



Test No. 1. — Japanese larch, 6 x 5 in. 



Broke at 2\ turns — 1 deflection. 

 Test No. 2.— English larch, 6 x 5 in. 

 Broke at 4| turns — 2\ deflections. 

 Test No. 3. — Japanese larch, 7^ in. diameter over bark. 

 Cracked at 6 turns — 3 deflections. 

 Broke at 8 turns — 4 deflections. 

 Test No. 4. — English larch, 1\ in. diameter over bark. 

 Cracked at 14 turns — 7 deflections. 

 Broke at 15| turns — 7| deflections. 

 Test No. 5.— Japanese larch, 8| in. over bark. 

 Cracked at 6 turns — 3 deflections. 

 Broke at 7 turns — 3| deflections. 

 Test No. 6. — English larch, 8| in. over bark. 

 Cracked at 12 turns — 6 deflections. 

 Broke at 16 turns — 8 deflections. 

 In all the above tests the nature of the fracture was greatly 

 in favour of the European larch ; the Japanese larch broke 

 with a shorter fracture and did not show the toughness of fibre 

 exhibited by the European larch. The trees tested were grown 

 on the same ground and under the same conditions, whilst the 

 tests were identical in each case. 



Japanese larch grows more rapidly in a young state than 



^ Trans. Roy. Scot. Arb. Soc. xxxv, p. 118 (1921). 

 2 Trans. Roy. Scot. Arb. Soc. xxix, p. 206 (1915). 



