418 SYLVICULTURAL NOTES ON TIMBER TREES 



SPRUCE. 



Picea excelsa = The Norway Spruce. 

 Picea Sitchensis = Sitka Spruce. 

 Picea alba = The White Spruce. 



None of the Spruces are native trees. 



NORWAY SPRUCE. 



The Norway Spruce is said to have been introduced 

 about 1550. 



As to Seed. Good crops of seed are produced from 

 about the I5th year onwards; and the seed years are 

 frequent. However, it is a difficult question to decide whether 

 home-grown seed should be used. 



One pound of seed contains about 64,000 seeds, and the 

 germinative capacity is about 70 to 75 per cent. 



The timber is white, light, and soft, but is not durable 

 when exposed to inimical influences. It is the tree from 

 which the white Christiana deals are cut. It makes excellent 

 pulp wood. 



Soil and Situation. The Spruce will grow in a great 

 variety of soils, but any dry soil is quite unsuited to it. It 

 thrives on stiff clay soils, and also on peaty soils, provided 

 they are not water-logged. 



It requires a less depth of soil than almost ary other tree, 

 provided it can obtain sufficient moisture. It prefers a very 

 moist atmosphere, and hence succeeds better on northern 

 aspects. As explained elsewhere, its growth in England is 

 seldom satisfactory, except on tablelands at high elevations, 

 or on northern aspects, or where there is really a great deal 

 of moisture in the soil. However, the climate in Scotland is 

 much more suited to its growth. The tree likes a short grow- 

 ing season with a rapid transition from winter to summer ; 

 and it delights in being frequently shrouded in mist and 

 fog. 



