124 TREE-PLANTING. 



4,000 feet, and may perhaps be seen at its best in the 

 narrow valleys of Germany, between the mountains of 

 Switzerland and the Black Forest, where it attains the 

 height of 150 feet, with a trunk from sixteen to twenty 

 feet in girth, the soil being rich friable loam. 



It is said to have been introduced from this district 

 into England by Sergeant Newdigate, who planted 

 two two-year old seedlings at his residence at Hare- 

 field Park in the year 1603. Evelyn describes these 

 trees as having become " goodly masts " in 1679, the 

 larger being eighty-one feet high and thirteen feet in 

 circumference. 



The tree has chiefly been employed for ornamental 

 effect, seldom having been planted in masses by itself, 

 but where this has been done, the result has shown 

 that they admit of being stood thickly together, which 

 tends to produce tall clean wood of a fine grain ; and 

 notwithstanding their close proximity, which causes 

 most trees to run up in a slender form, the trunks 

 attain a great girth, and yield valuable timber, which 

 is seldom equalled in amount by any other tree. 

 Several instances are recorded of single trees pro- 

 ducing upwards of 300 cubical feet of timber. 



When young, it is one of the most tender plants 

 which grow in Britain, and it grows but slowly during 

 the first ten or fifteen years of its life ; but after it has 

 got well established in a suitable soil, and has reached 

 a height of eight or ten feet, it grows rapidly both in 

 bulk and stature, and is seldom distanced by any 

 other tree of the species of Conifera. 



The best soil for producing silver fir timber is a 

 rich deep loam, which is cool and moist, rather than 

 dry, which is often found along the slopes of moor- 



