176 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



small growing space — about 3 ft. apart. On the other hand, the 

 forceful nature of the leaders of Eucalypti make it possible to 

 attain equally satisfactory results by planting these as much as 

 6 ft, to 7 ft. between each tree. 



" The light-demanding Larix europcza constitutes one of the 

 most important varieties at present being grown. It is easily 

 raised and transplanted, and up to quite recently has shown 

 decided partiality for all situations tried. Most writers affirm that 

 the growing of a thoroughly healthy crop of larch is a sylvi- 

 cultural impossibility, owing to its susceptibility to a fungoid 

 disease. There is no doubt that in mixed planting the liability 

 to disease is more remote ; but repeated experiments in associat- 

 ing larch in their youth with other trees of commercial value 

 have clearly indicated the undesirability of substituting our 

 present pure planting for any mixed system. 



" At the present time larch is planted at 4 ft. apart, and we 

 anticipate being able to conduct the first thinning operations — 

 which will merely consist in removing the dominated or sup- 

 pressed trees — when plantations are from fifteen to twenty years 

 old. From that time onward periodical thinnings will be under- 

 taken, and be followed by the gradual introduction of shade- 

 bearing species of the Oregon pine or Thuja plicata types. Such 

 trees as Picea excelsa, Picea sifcheiisis, Pseudo-isuga taxifolia, 

 Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus pedunculata, Pinus austriaca, Pinus 

 Laricio, Pinus ponderosa, and Pi?ius strobus have been planted 

 pure in suitable localities ; but in the cases of the thinly foliaged 

 trees under-planting will subsequently have to be resorted to. 



"Several large compartments have been filled with a mixture 

 of English ash and spruce fir, and although both varieties have 

 proved intensely slow growers in their youth, where the soil is of 

 good fertility a uniform progress is being maintained. For the 

 ultimate crop Pinus ponderosa is being nursed by Pinus Laricio, 

 and both species are keeping well together. The yellow pine, 

 however, being the most valuable tree for succeeding under 

 adverse conditions, is generally allotted the more exposed rocky 

 situations where pure planting is followed. 



"The Department has practically ceased raising the undesir- 

 able Acer pseudo-platanus and Acer saccharum, both of which 

 have proved to be utterly unsuitable for planting, even on 

 semi-sheltered hillsides. In several deep gullies sycamore are 

 making excellent progress ; but as the more valuable ash also 



