136 SCIENCE IN FORESTRY 



Scots Pine of South Germany and of France. It 

 closely resembles the pine of Scandinavia and of 

 Finland. They differ in colour of needle and in 

 habit of growth, and what is of most importance 

 in character and quality of timber. The native 

 P. silvestris L. of North Scotland tends to grow 

 with a quite straight stem, while the other varieties 

 even when grown under close canopy, in ideal 

 silvicultural conditions, have a marked tendency 

 to corkscrew form of growth. The bark (which 

 is an indicator of quality of timber) differs. The 

 timber itself is markedly different. In the one 

 case the heart-wood is golden yellow in colour and 

 of large proportion, while in the other it is dull 

 red and small. It may be asserted that these 

 differences are explained by climatic influences, 

 but distinct climatic varieties do not arise in a 

 single generation, and a generation of tree life is a 

 century or two. Mayr held that the differences 

 were so marked and of such importance as to 

 justify the separation of the pine native to North 

 Scotland, Scandinavia and Finland, which he named 

 Pinus laponica. Yet the forester purchases the 

 seed from anywhere, and as seed collecting is not 

 an organised business in this country more likely 

 than not his supplies will come from South Germany 

 or from France where seed collecting is attended 

 to. In the last fifty years, much evil has resulted 

 to this country from the importation of seed from 

 any cheap source, and in the native pine districts 



