76 ENGLISH WOODLANDS 



stances make the planting of either of these 

 undesirable. 



Corsican fir is a tree which has obvious 

 disadvantages. It is difficult to transplant ; 

 heavy losses are frequent. The timber is coarse 

 and hard to work. It can be planted usefully 

 only in exposed positions as a wind-screen. It 

 is very hardy when once established. 



Silver fir bears shade well, grows quickly, 

 attains a large size. It offers no attractions to 

 timber merchants, and is a most unremunera- 

 tive tree. The forests of the Austrian Tyrol 

 and Styria were originally almost entirely silver 

 fir. Spruce has been introduced as more re- 

 munerative. In these countries it is usual for 

 the timber merchants to require a guarantee 

 that not more than 20 per cent, of the crop is 

 Silver fir. Under the most favourable circum- 

 stances the quality of the timber is poor. It 

 was introduced into England three hundred 

 years ago. It has never been planted to a 

 large extent. From the difference of the 

 botanical names, Picea excelsa (Spruce) and 

 Abies pectinata (Silver fir), it is apparent that 

 botanists can observe some marked difference 

 between them, but to most people they appear 

 to be very similar and not more distant 



