KKITISH FOREST TREES 14.; 



planted to tracts where climatic conditions obtain differing 

 greatly from those of its true home. 



Requirements as to Light. The larch is the most light- 

 demanding of all conifers, and indeed of all our forest trees 

 with perhaps the exception of the birch. Even in the 

 Alps it is intolerant of shade falling from above, and can 

 bear side-shade only on the better classes of soil. It is 

 enabled to maintain the crown well in advance of other 

 forest growth of equal age, owing to its very rapid growth 

 in height, which is well maintained throughout its whole 

 period of development. For the normal growth of larch, 

 therefore, such provision must be made as will secure to 

 each individual stem a due amount of enjoyment of light 

 and air without danger being incurred of the summit of the 

 crown being interfered with by pressure or shade of the 

 crowns of neighbouring trees. 



As larch is, even where indigenous, so essentially a light- 

 loving tree, it is only what might be expected that, in our 

 northern but by no means Alpine climate, its demand for 

 light and freedom of crown should be accentuated so as to 

 be absolutely the first condition for its satisfactory 

 development, except on soils very much above the average 

 in quality. 



Attainment of Maturity and Reproductive Capacity. The 

 introduction of the larch on a large scale into Scotland was 

 begun by the Duke of Athole in the second quarter of the 

 eighteenth century, and most of the oldest original plan- 

 tations in northern Germany were also formed between 1725 

 1756. The bad growth in some localities necessitated 

 clearance at forty to fifty years ; others gave good timber at 

 sixty years, while on the better situations larger timber was 

 kept over till about eighty years. Unless, however, planted 

 up with underwood to protect the soil, a rotation so high 

 as a hundred years is not advisable with the larch. Away 



