144 



BRITISH FOREST TREES 



from its Alpine home, where it attains an age of over two 

 hundred to two hundred and fifty years, and forms dark 

 red heartwood greatly prized on account of its extraordinary 

 durability and high general excellence, its timber never 

 attains the same quality, because the whole of the natural 

 conditions of its growth are interfered with. When branches 

 are removed, either intentionally or accidentally, close to 

 the stem, larch possesses the power, rare among conifers, of 

 being able to throw out shoots, but its reproductive power 

 in this respect has no sylvicultural value whatever. 



It bears seed early and often from about the twentieth 

 to thirtieth year, and this retains its germinative power for 

 three or four years, although fresh seed is always preferable 

 when obtainable. The small cones ripen in October or 

 November of the year of flowering, and the seed is 

 scattered in the following spring ; the old cones remain 

 sessile, but the new are easily distinguishable by their light 

 brown colour from the old weathered cones of any former 

 year's production. A germinative power of 30 to 40 

 per cent, shown by experimental tests to determine the 

 quality of the seed is considered satisfactory. The seeds 

 are just about the size of those of the spruce, but not 

 having the same rich brown colour are easily distinguishable 

 from them, and they are considerably lighter as 72,000 to 

 77,000 go to a pound. 



Liability to Suffer from External Dangers. In the 

 mountainous tracts in which it is indigenous, the larch 

 suffers little from frost, or, being a deciduous tree, from 

 accumulations of snow or ice, though in localities into 

 which it has been introduced, the atmospheric changes 

 affect it more ; the damage done, however, is seldom 

 serious. But under the latter circumstances, and in pro- 

 portion as soil and situation are unsuitable to its growth, 

 the larch has developed a tendency to suffer from the 



