llklTISII KOKI-ST TKKI-S 149 



tion of the seed of the ruling species that is being regen- 

 erated ; but unless specially tended, self-sown seedlings die 

 off under the shade of the standards. And to specially tend 

 or favour such self-sown growth would often be inadvisable 

 as the introduction of larch can be much better arranged for 

 later on by planting. As a subordinate species in forests of 

 beech, spruce, or silver fir, the larch, to yield good results, 

 must be planted with so much advantage in height, that not 

 only the top but nearly the whole of the crown shall be in 

 the undisturbed enjoyment of light. To introduce larch 

 into forests where the ruling species consists of either spruce 

 or silver fir, after these latter have begun to throw up lead- 

 ing shoots of fifteen to sixteen inches, is of very little use 

 notwithstanding its rapid growth in youth. It is best intro- 

 duced in blanks, either singly or in small patches, when 

 seedling crops of beech or silver fir are having the parent 

 standards cleared away, and good transplants of larch can 

 assert themselves when the surrounding growth has the 

 advantage over it of six to eight years in the case of silver 

 fir, or three to five in the case of beech. 



As nurses of oak plantations, larch is preferable to Scots 

 pine for several reasons ; it can be planted out in larger 

 transplants, it has little tendency towards branching growth 

 even when in full enjoyment of light, its foliage is lighter, and 

 as its growth is also quicker, it can remain longer as nurse 

 without injuring the oak, whilst on favourable situations it 

 can even be retained up to the sixtieth or seventieth year to 

 the extent of about twenty stems per acre. 



Pure Forests of Larch are formed either by sowing or 

 planting, although on the Alps such occasionally have 

 their existence from seed being borne from adjoining 

 woods to areas where clear fellings have been made. 

 Rapidity of early growth, and imperfect retention of close 

 canopy later on, are the most characteristic features of 



