UKITISII 1-oKK.vr TREES 153 



Switzerland are thus formed, as the seed germinates easily 

 wherever it falls on broken soil. 



Sowing. The main disadvantage of sowing larch is that 

 one can never tell how the seed is likely to germinate in 

 bulk, as it usually comes up either too thick or somewhat 

 patchy. The poor quality of larch seed sold by dealers, 

 who can get it at cheaper rates at lower elevations than they 

 would have to pay for the best quality of seed collected 

 from forests at higher altitudes, and the low germinative 

 power of 30 to 40 per cent, only which is usually obtainable, 

 necessitate somewhat thicker sowing than in the case of 

 Scots pine, although when sowings come up too dense the 

 drawback is even greater with the larch than with the latter. 

 Sowing takes place either broadcast, or in strips or patches, 

 according to the nature of the soil, but it should under 

 ordinary circumstances not be preferred to planting, except 

 where this is inconvenient, as on rocky or stony soil. 



Larch seed should be sown early so as to have the benefit 

 of the winter moisture ; it is even sometimes sown in autumn. 

 The small seed requires little or no soil-covering, and shade 

 either from the side or from above is in every way uncon- 

 genial to it. When the larch is to be mixed with the beech, 

 and planting is not the method preferred as would generally 

 appear advisable, the seed is sown on small patches here 

 and there ; but when it is to be sown along with Scots pine 

 so as to form about one-sixth of the crop, i Ib. of larch seed 

 is usually mixed with 2\ Ibs. of pine seed. 



Planting, however, deserves the preference in the gene- 

 rality of cases, whether for the formation of pure forests of 

 larch, or for its introduction into mixed forest with other 

 ruling species, as it establishes itself more readily than most 

 other trees, especially when transplants are put out. It can 

 be planted out as yearling seedlings, but is then apt to suffer 

 from drought, so that material under two years is seldom 



