406 APPENDIX 



This is especially so with slow-growing veterans. The heartwood is reddish-brown, 

 veined with rings of darker colored fall wood. . . . When completely air dried wood 

 from mountain-grown trees has a specific gravity of 0.557 to 0.686 0.456 to 0.531 if 

 grown at lower elevations. 



Uses. Larch is the " mountain oak." Its timber is one of the most valuable to be 

 found in French forests; its complete lignification and its great richness in rosin make it 

 very durable and the regularity and thinness of the annual rings, as well as their ar- 

 rangement in alternate soft and hard zones, give it remarkable strength and resiliency. 

 It does not crack; it is not attacked by insects, and is suitable for ... mast and 

 ship building. In Russia it is even used for ship-ribs . . . shingles, staves, and 

 barrels made of this wood have the advantage of allowing very little evaporation; vine 

 props and water pipes made of larch will last almost indefinitely. 



Fuel Value. As firewood larch crackles and throws sparks, even more so than 

 other resinous woods. On the other hand it has a fairly high fuel value. Charcoal 

 obtained from larch, as compared with beech, is of good quality and better than that 

 from pine or spruce. 



Tapping for Resin. Turpentine is fairly abundant in larch. . . . There are 

 various methods of tapping for resin; the following is practiced in the Valais by the 

 Lombardians: 



With an auger 1.2 inches in diameter holes are bored 2 feet from the ground. These 

 holes are inclined upward a little . . . point to the center of the tree but do not. 

 reach it. ... The openings are fitted with wooden or bar gutters and a trough 

 placed underneath. A tree may yield on an average 85 to 100 grams of turpentine a 

 year for 40 to 60 consecutive years if care is taken to plug thoroughly the holes during 

 whiter; the total quantity may reach 5.5+ pounds (Varchland). ... It seems 

 that larch trees so tapped . . . are fit only for firewood. . . . 



In the southern Tyrol another method is used. In the spring a horizontal (1.1 inches 

 in diameter) hole is bored at the base of thrifty trees right to the centre; if the tree 

 stands on a slope the hole is bored into the upper side. The aperture is securely plugged 

 with a wooden stopper. Turpentine gathers in the hole during the summer and in the 

 autumn it is scooped out with a specially shaped spoon; then the plug is put back. At 

 the end of a year another quantity of turpentine is scooped out and so on from year to 

 year (Hugo Vohl). This method, though infinitely less productive, does not injure 

 the trees and there is no deterioration in the quality of the timber (Wessely). 



Larch turpentine is known as "Venetian Turpentine" . . . it is purer and better 

 quality than that distilled from pine. 



By-Products. Larch leaves secrete a peculiar resinous substance, which solidifies 

 in the shape of small whitish grains, and which is prescribed by doctors as an aperient 

 under the name of "Briancon Manna." Young bark is used for tanning, and in some 

 German States larch is extensively cultivated on account of the excellent quality of its 

 bark; it is used also for brown dyeing. 



Silvicultural Characteristics. In the high mountains where the larch is found 

 the stands must combat the rigorous climate, the rough soil, steep slopes, and grazing. 

 Moreover, the management of any forest is always a delicate matter because the least 

 error may possibly occasion irreparable disasters. Because of its extreme intolerance 

 the larch does not grow well in more than one story. Rather open stands composed of 

 trees of the same height is preferable to any other method. To continue such a condition 

 it is necessary to favor it in every way, not only when young, but even toward the end 

 of the rotation when regeneration is necessary. If there is sufficient light the natural 

 seeding is possible in the grass which usually covers the ground in larch forests. At its 

 lower limits of growth the larch can be advantageously mixed with spruce, mountain 



