Trees for Economic Planting 59 



lasts about eleven years, and the Scotch seven years. This 

 refers especially to rails, not to posts, which decay in about 

 half that time. For mining and railway purposes the dur- 

 ability of larch wood makes it much sought after, this being 

 further enhanced by its extreme lightness, the weight of a 

 cubic foot when seasoned being only 34 Ibs. It takes a 

 beautiful polish, works with great freedom, and, when fully 

 seasoned, is not at all liable to twist or warp. 



Substitutes for the larch have often been recommended, 

 but, in the true sense of the word, there are practically none, 

 although, doubtless, some of those whose claims have been 

 set forth might to a certain extent reflect one or more of its 

 valuable qualities. 



Sitka or Silver Spruce (Picea Sitchensis). From a 

 purely commercial point of view the Sitka or Silver Spruce 

 is probably the most valuable of any of the family to which 

 it belongs. It is a tree of noble growth in this country, 

 several specimens being well over 100 ft. in height and 

 with boles that girth fully 10 ft. at a yard from the ground, 

 these dimensions being attained in seventy-five years. 

 When used as a standard, the tree is one of great beauty, 

 the stiff and rather irregularly disposed branches being 

 thickly beset with vivid bluish-green foliage that is silvery 

 on the under side. It delights in a cool, moist loam and 

 not too exposed situation, but when grown on gravel or 

 any warm soil the foliage is distinctly meagre and affected 

 by red spider. The timber, which is remarkably light for 

 its bulk, strong and flexible, is of great value in the making 

 of aeroplanes, and special logs find a ready market at highly 

 remunerative prices in the London market. 



The Gorsican Pine (Pinus laricio). This is, undoubtedly, 

 one of the best all-round conifers that has found its way 

 into the British Isles. It is of very rapid growth, and well 

 suited for planting, even in the most exposed and wind- 

 swept situations ; a non-fastidious subject as to soil, and a 

 valuable timber producer. 



As to its adaptability for withstanding long-continued 

 cold blasts at high altitudes, ample evidence can be adduced 

 on many an English and Scotch estate where the pine has 



