392 , Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 



soil, even on sea-sand. Will succeed still on someVhat saline soil, 

 at all events the Taurian variety [Th. Kessall], The wood is pale, 

 towards the. centre dark, very resinous, coarse-grained, elastic and 

 durable, and much esteemed for building, especially for waterworks ; 

 valuable also for its permanency underground. There are three 

 main-varieties of this pine, namely, P. L. Poiretiana in Italy, P. L. 

 Austriaca in Austria, P. L. Pallasiana on the borders of the Black 

 Sea. Another variety or closely allied species is P. leucodermis 

 (Antoine), which is suitable for very high elevations. The tree 

 grows best in calcareous soil, but also in poor sandy ground, where 

 however the timber does not get so large nor so good. It yields all the 

 products of P. silvestris, but in greater quantities, being perhaps the 

 most resinous of all pines. Assumed to attain an age of 500 years 

 [Langethal]. The Austriaca variety attained a stem-girth of nearly 

 2 feet in 10 years, when cultivated in Nebraska [Governor Furnas]. 

 It is this Austrian variety which is still better adapted than the 

 typical P. Laricio for planting on rolling sea-sands in very exposed 

 places. This species is regarded by some as even preferable for 

 timber-rearing to P. silvestris and P. Larix. Rate of upward growth 

 1-2 feet in a ear. 



!PinilS Larix, Linn.* (Larix Uuropcea, De Candolle.) 



Common Larch. On the European Alps, up to 7,000 feet. A 

 tree of quick growth in cool localities ; adapted to poor soil, its 

 foliage as in all larches deciduous. It attains often a height of 100 

 feet, sometimes rising even to 160 feet, and produces a valuable 

 timber of great durability, which is used for land- and water- 

 buildings, and much prized for ship- and boat-building ; for staves 

 of wine-casks almost indestructible, not allowing the evaporation 

 of the spirituous contents [Simmonds], also much employed for 

 pumps. The Brian^on-Manna exudes from the stem. Larch-trees, 

 cut in Bohemia, have shown over 500 annual rings in their wood 

 [Langethal] ; the age of one particular tree is now 580 years [Prof. 

 Bentley]. Rate of growth in Britain about 60 feet in 40 years. 

 Larch-timber lasts three times longer than that of the Norway-Spruce, 

 and although buoyant and elastic it is tougher and more compact ; it 

 is proof against decaying effect of water, not readily igniting, and 

 heavier and harder than any deal [Stauffer]. The Venetian houses, 

 constructed of larch-wood, showed for almost indefinite periods no 

 symptoms of decay. This wood is also selected for the most lasting 

 panels of paintings. The bark is used for tanning and dyeing. The 

 tree is also of great importance for its yield of Venetian turpentine, 

 which is obtained by boring holes into the stem in spring ; these fill 

 during the summer, supplying from half to three-quarters of a pint 

 of turpentine. In Piedmont, where they tap the tree in different 

 spots, and let the liquid continually run, it is said, that from seven to 

 eight pints may be obtained in a year ; but the wood suffers through 

 this operation. The larch is grown in Norway to lat. 66 5'; in 



