Pinus Laricio 415 



of Calabria, gives five plates, reproductions from photographs, of the Calabrian 

 forests, and a plate showing the variation in the cones ; but he has added little to 

 our knowledge of these interesting forests in his short description of them. He 

 states that the finest one is the State forest of Gallipano. (A. H.) 



As I could find no account of this tree in its native country, and it was then 

 little known in England ; from the information I received from Signor Siemoni, 

 chief of the Forest Department at Rome, I visited Cosenza, a town in Calabria, 

 in April 1903. Here I was kindly received by Signor Carlo Pagliano, Inspector 

 of Forests, who directed me to a village called Spezzano Grande, two hours' 

 drive from Cosenza, from where I rode with Signor D. Greco, the sub-inspector, 

 to the Sila Mountains, on which the largest forests of this tree now exist. The 

 snow was still lying on the pass at about 4800 feet, but on the plateau beyond 

 this it had melted except in shaded places. The forest is composed mainly 

 of pine, here called Pino della Sila, Pino Rosso, or Pino Butello, mixed with 

 beech in some places ; but the forest has been considerably diminished by felling 

 in former times, when the dockyards of Naples drew a large part of their timber 

 from this district. The inspector told me that the only place he knew of where 

 virgin forest of this tree still remained, was on a mountain called Femina Morte in 

 the forest of Carigleone, in the district of Cattanzaro, 60 to 70 kilometres south-east of 

 Cosenza. The average size of the trees which I saw being cut for the sawmill was not 

 above 80 to 90 feet by 6 to 8 feet in girth, and smaller where they grew densely. These 

 trees were 80 to 90 years old, and the heart wood, 10 inches in diameter, was reddish. 

 In places where fire and cattle had not destroyed them, the natural reproduction was 

 very good, and the seedlings when once established were making 2 to 3 feet of 

 growth every year. The trees grew best in a south aspect on a soil which appeared 

 to be decomposed granite, and, as far as I could learn, there is no limestone in this 

 district. On my way back I visited Potenza in the Basilicata, whence, according 

 to M. de Vilmorin's information, the seeds of the tree originally were introduced ; 

 but if the tree ever existed in the district, I could hear nothing of it. 



Austrian Pine. The Austrian pine has been the subject of a monograph by 

 Prof. A, von Seckendorfif^ which gives very elaborate details of its literature, 

 economy, and distribution in Austria, with maps and illustrations of remarkable 

 trees in various places, which should be consulted by those who wish to know more 

 than the brief resume which I give. It occurs as a wild tree abundantly only in 

 Lower Austria in an area extending from Modling, near Vienna, south to near Pitten 

 and south-west to Reichenrau, especially on the Alpine chalk formation, and attains 

 an elevation of about 4000 feet. It attains a very great age, the rings of one felled 

 near Stixenstein showing no less than 584 years, though the tree was only 65 feet 

 high and about 6 feet in girth. In very rocky situations it grows so slowly that a 

 tree near Mehadia was 270 years old, with a trunk only 8 feet high and about a 

 foot in girth at the base. 



Among the trees most remarkable for size may be mentioned a splendid tree at 

 Vostenhofer (fig. ii. of Seckendorff) which is about 75 feet high and 21 feet in girth. 



* Bettrage zur JCenntniss der Schwarzfohre (Winn&, 1881). 



