59^ The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



occupied by Mary Queen of Scots in 1577. This is now perfectly sound, and much 

 darkened in colour by age. The width and somewhat knotty character of the 

 boards tend to confirm what the late Sir R. Menzies told me, that it was made from 

 locally grown Scots pine, which may have come from the Black Wood of Rannoch, 

 or from other native forests that have now disappeared. 



It is remarkable that, notwithstanding all that has been written since the Earl 

 of Haddington first raised the question as to the existence of different varieties of 

 this tree in his Treatise on Forest Trees, in 1 760, there seems to be as yet no exact 

 knowledge as to whether the different kinds of timber produced by different trees are, 

 as I believe, individual variations, largely due to soil, or whether, by sowing seeds 

 from trees possessing superior qualities, they may be reproduced in other soils and 

 situations. The best and most exact records of such experiments that I know of 

 are given by M. M. de Vilmorin in his account of the varieties of Pinus sylvestris 

 collected by his grandfather at Les Barres in France, and published in the Catalogue 

 des vegetaux Ligneux sur le Domaine des Barres (Paris, 1878), which show how 

 much one family have done for the better knowledge of the economic value of trees, 

 and for the benefit of their country. 



Briefly, this trial, extending over a period of over sixty years, shows that, in the 

 soil and climate of Central France, the Riga variety of P. sylvestris has, on its first 

 introduction as well as in the second generation, preserved its superiority over other 

 varieties of the same tree from the various parts of France, from Haguenau on the 

 Rhine, from Switzerland, and from Scotland by its good growth, freedom from 

 branches, quality of timber, and facility of transplantation. Though this superiority 

 might not be as marked in England, it points to the necessity of careful trials of seed 

 from Riga which, so far as I know, have not yet been made in this country. 



In Scott. Arb. Trans, ix. 176(1881), there is a very valuable paper by J. M'Laren 

 and W. M 'Corquodale, on "The Supposed Deterioration of the Scots Pine"; it 

 having been stated by George Don and other writers that there were two or more 

 varieties, one of which was very inferior to the other. They conclude, after reviewing 

 the experience of many competent foresters, that the quality of the timber depends 

 on the subsoil and the climate more than on the variety, and that the rich red 

 resinous timber, for which the Highland pine is distinguished, is not to be expected 

 in the south. They say that, since the days of the fine old Memel pine, there is no 

 pine timber imported to our country equal to the old Highland pine, and that what 

 has caused it to fall into disrepute is that it is grown too fast and cut too young, 

 coupled with the fact that it is more difficult to manufacture and dress than foreign 

 timber. (H. J. E.) 



