212 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FORESTRY 



If there are any other commercial species than those 

 named above they will be found mentioned in the numer- 

 ous books on forestry, beginning with Evelyn's Sylva, and 

 ending with the last monograph on some recent introduc- 

 tion from a remote part of the world. In this connection, 

 special acknowledgment must be made of that monu- 

 mental work The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland, by 

 Messrs. Elwes and Henry. As a book of reference to all who 

 have to do with the sowing and planting of hardy trees, 

 this work must remain a text-book for centuries, and 

 although it greatly exceeds the requirements of the prac- 

 tical forester, the accuracy with which it has been com- 

 piled gives it a value which very few works can possess. 



The list supplied above comprises about nine broad- 

 leaved and ten coniferous species, one or more of which 

 are capable of accommodating themselves to every pos- 

 sible soil and situation fit for timber-groAving in Britain. 

 Briefly summarised the}^ are : — 



On good soils and situations. — Ash, Spanish chestnut, 

 Douglas fir, and possibly Weymouth pine and oak. 



On medium soils with moderate exjiosures. — Beech, 

 Scots pine, Corsican pine, Norway spruce, Sitka spruce, 

 and silver fir. As nurses or main-crop trees generally on 

 these soils, larch may be regarded as suitable for universal 

 use, but should rarely if ever be relied upon as a pure crop. 



On high-lyiiig and thin soils near the limit of tree 

 growth. — Sitka spruce, Norway spruce, larch, and birch. 



On swampy and low-lying land. — Black Italian poplar, 

 grey poplar, Huntingdon willow, crack willow, and alder. 



In mild, humid localities near the sea. — Pinus insig- 

 nis, Cupressus onacrocarjxt, and possibly Thuia gigantea. 



If first-class pine, spruce, silver fir, and beech timber 

 could be produced in Great Britain, with larch in the form 

 of poles, pit wood, and fencing timber, there is no reason 

 why the present demand for building and constructive 



