26 



State. However, all attempts to grow this species from seedlings at the 

 Forest Reserve have failed. 



2. LARIX. THE LARCHES. 



Larix laricina (Du Roi) Koch. TAMARACK. Plate No. 5. 

 Tall spire-like trees, usually 2-3 dm. in diameter, rarely as large as 

 5 dm. in diameter; bark gray or reddish-brown, scaly; twigs slender, 

 smooth, light brown, becoming a dark gray brown; leaves scattered 

 along the shoots of the season, in fascicles on the older branches, usually 

 20-50 in a bundle; filiform, 1-2.5 cm. long, obtuse at apex, triangular 

 in cross-section, all falling off late in autumn; staminate flowers borne 

 on the short leafless branches, the pistillate appear with the leaves 

 on the branches of the previous season; cones borne on short, stout 

 branchlets, normally erect or inclined to be so, 10-20 mm. long, purplish 

 brown while growing, turning to a light brown at maturity, persisting 

 on the tree for about a year; wood hard, heavy, light brown, variable in 

 strength. 



Distribution. Labrador, Newfoundland south to southern New 

 York, West Virginia, northern Ohio and Indiana, Wisconsin, Minne- 

 sota and northward. In Indiana it is confined to the northern part of 

 the State, and has not been reported south of the northern part of Cass 

 County. The most southern station in the eastern part of the State is 

 about Lake Everett in the northwest part of Allen County. It is found 

 on low borders of lakes, in swamps and in bogs. In all of its stations 

 in Indiana it is found growing near the water level in great depths of 

 organic matter more or less decomposed or in beds of peat, which con- 

 tain little or practically no soil. Where it is found, it usually forms a 

 pure stand. 



Remarks. Formerly the tamarack was a common tree in its area. 

 Recently many of the tamarack swamps have been drained. This 

 with heavy cutting has reduced the supply of tamarack in Indiana to 

 an insignificant amount. The tamarack is popularly classed as white 

 and yellow the yellow being considered the better of the two. In our 

 area it is used principally for poles and posts. There is a diversity of 

 opinion as to the durability of tamarack in contact with the soil. The 

 most authentic information places the life of fence posts at about ten 

 years. 



3. TSUGA. The HEMLOCKS. 



Tsuga canadensis (Linnaeus) Carriere. HEMLOCK. Plate 6. 

 Tall trees, 3-7 dm. in diameter, with reddish-brown or grayish bark, 

 deeply furrowed; shoots very slender and hairy, becoming smooth in a 



