NOTES ON TREES. 35 



Spruces, Common or Norway spruce (Picea excelsa) is 

 decidedly suitable for the western climate. It succeeds well 

 on a soil with a natural crop of pasture grasses thoroughly 

 mixed with tall fescue (Festuca elatior), or a few rushes, or 

 with any of the following plants : queen of the meadow 

 (Spiraea ulmaria), lady's mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris), 

 water avens (Geum rivale), and yellow iris (Iris pseud- 

 acorus). It also grows well among soft grass (Holcus 

 lanatus or H. mollis), and on ground that has been cleared 

 of alder scrub, but in some cases only after draining. It 

 flourishes where there is a good crop of bracken, and also 

 among a thin bracken-crop with grasses or a little heath 

 beneath, the results being better the heavier the bracken- 

 crop. This ground, however, may likewise be used for 

 other species. It also grows on soil of poorer quality, 

 does moderately well among purple molinia, but is less 

 vigorous among mat-grass (Nardus stricta), hair-grass 

 (Aira flexuosa), and bent-grass (Agrostis canina), and still 

 less so among the hair-grass, Aira ccespitosa. It is always 

 better where there is a bottom of green moss than where 

 the yellowish variety forms the bottom, and where there 

 is a good mixture of single rushes among the grasses it is 

 sure to succeed. A mixture of ling with any of these 

 grasses greatty impairs the results. Spruce has no aversion 

 to growing among bog-myrtle if the latter is not too dense 

 and strong, although it is said by some that its life is 

 short along with that plant. Almost all ground bearing 

 bog-myrtle requires more or less draining to grow spruce, 

 which in, any case is slower in getting away and less 

 vigorous than if grown among the better herbage. 



Sitka spruce (Picea Sitkaensis) is also decidedly suit- 

 able for the moist West of Scotland climate. It may be 

 planted on any situation that will do for common spruce. 

 It has, however, a decided advantage over the common 

 spruce where there is a rank growth on the ground, 

 especially of rushes or iris; for it establishes itself more 



