1 70 SYLVICULTURAL NOTES ON 



does best on low lands. At high elevations southern aspects 

 are best for it, as it succeeds best in a warm climate, but at 

 low elevations it will do well on all aspects. It is hardy 

 against frost and drought. It is very light-demanding and 

 should not be grown in the shade of other trees. It is storm- 

 firm, being deep rooted, but heavy snow breaks off many 

 branches. It is a rapid grower. It is very accommodating 

 as to soil, and can be ^rown on almost any class of land 

 except very shallow soils. It succeeds best, however, on gravelly 

 loams and sandy soils, and it is a useful tree for peats. Depth 

 and plenty of moisture are necessary for its finest develop- 

 ment, but useful timber can also be obtained on dry and 

 moderately shallow soils. It is one of the best trees for a first 

 crop on land not previously wooded, at a moderate elevation. 



Scotch pine may be grown in pure woods up to an age of 

 forty or fifty years as it preserves the fertility of the soil till 

 then. After this age the woods open out, and if they are to be 

 grown on to a long rotation they should be underplanted. It 

 is, however, better to mix Scotch pine in fair-sized groups with 

 beech, spruce, or Douglas fir, while groups of larch may be 

 planted here and there in pine woods to improve the revenue. 

 High forest with clear cutting is the most suitable sylvicultural 

 system with a rotation of about sixty to eighty years. On 

 sandy lands covered with a short growth of heather natural 

 regeneration will usually be successful. The timber of Scotch 

 pine is largely imported under the names of ' Red deal ', ' Red 

 fir', 'Red pine', and 'Yellow pine'. British-grown timber 

 only fetches a small price as it is almost invariably knotty 

 and soft, having been grown in too open a manner, but if 

 grown properly in crowded woods there is no reason why 

 home-grown timber should not be quite as good as the foreign. 

 Insects do serious damage, the chief pests being the pine 

 weevil (Hylobius abietis), the pine beetle (Myelophilus pini- 

 perda\ the cockchafer (Melolontha vulgar is], and the pine- 

 shoot moth (Rctinia buoliana}. Fungi, especially the Honey 



