84 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



a fairly steep bank which faces south-east. The trees are 

 standing, on an average, rather over 5 feet apart, so that there 

 would be about 1500 to the acre. At the foot of the bank, 

 where there is a good depth of soil, they average 38 feet in 

 height, with a girth varying from 24 to 30 inches. On the upper 

 part of the bank growth has been somewhat slower, the average 

 height being about 28 feet with a girth of 20 inches. 



The two things that catch the eye at once in a grove of the 

 P. Laricio are the upright figure of the trees and the cylindrical 

 shape of the stems. These two characteristics seem to mark out 

 the tree as being specially adapted for pit-wood. There has been 

 a great demand for home-grown timber for pit purposes since 

 the war began, and to a lesser degree the demand is likely to be 

 a permanent one. This will lead to more timber being grown in 

 this country with the express object of supplying the collieries. 

 It used to be thought that the wood of the Corsican pine, at 

 least while young enough to be used in the round, was inferior 

 in strength to that of Scots pine, and the latter was consequently 

 preferred for pit props. But this objection is no longer main- 

 tained. And since, next to strength, the two most important 

 qualities for pit props are straightness and absence of taper ; 

 and since, moreover, the yield of timber per acre is rather higher 

 in the case of Corsican than in the case of Scots; it seems quite 

 likely that the Corsican pine may prove to be the most useful and 

 profitable crop that can be grown in Scotland for colliery purposes. 



To any one who is not a scientific botanist, it is a surprise to 

 find that the Corsican and Austrian pines are so closely allied 

 as they appear to be. According to the nomenclature of Kew, 

 the Corsican pine is P. Laricio, and the Austrian is P. Laricio 

 var. Austriaca. To the outward eye no two pines seem more 

 dissimilar. The Corsican is an upright tree of narrow outline, 

 with slender branches in regular whorls, and soft, flexible 

 needles ; while the Austrian is of an altogether coarser type, 

 with big irregular branches, and needles stout and sharp. And 

 if they are unlike in outward character, they seem to possess 

 some inward difference equally marked ; for while the omnivorous 

 rabbit has a decided liking for the Austrian, he will rarely touch 

 the bark of the Corsican. This immunity from rabbit attacks is 

 a great point in favour of the Corsican ; for, where it is planted 

 pure, wire-netting may be dispensed with, and a considerable 

 saving effected. 



