34 NOTES ON TREES. 



drained ground which will not grow spruce or any other- 

 timber tree that has been tried on it. It has also been 

 tried, with varying results, on moderately wet peat with- 

 out drainage. It will be of inestimable value to forestry, 

 for reclamation work, if this or some other tree can be 

 proved so to improve the quality of the poorer classes of 

 peat that spruces may be successfully cultivated on them. 



Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is so well known and so 

 accommodating that it is frequently planted in localities 

 and situations quite unsuited to its proper development. 

 It should not be extensively used in the West of Scotland. 

 It is much better suited for the dryer climate of the east and 

 inland parts of the country. In the west, however, there 

 will be found places with a crop of short hair-grass and 

 ling where it may be the most suitable tree to plant. It 

 generally succeeds better among ling than any other 

 timber tree; but it should not be planted on land that 

 will grow spruce, larch, or silver fir satisfactorily. 



Corsican pine (Pinus Laricio) is likely to give a better 

 return than Scots pine, and seems to be better suited to 

 the climate in the west. It has been tried in recent years 

 on soils bearing a crop of short hair-grass and ling, but it 

 is not yet advanced enough to enable one to offer an 

 opinion as to its ultimate success. So far, it is successful, 

 but is slow in becoming thoroughly established, some 

 plants getting away, but the majority just keeping ahead 

 of the herbage. It does well on a better soil which may 

 be too poor for European larch, silver fir, or Douglas, or 

 too dry for spruces. 



Austrian pine (Pinus Austriaca) has only been used in 

 a limited sense as a wind-break. It is a partial success on 

 ground that is growing spruce well, ground bearing a 

 natural crop of various grasses, which prefer a moderately 

 high degree of soil moisture; but it has done better on 

 dryer ground. All pines give best results with spring 

 planting. 



