BRITISH FOREST TREES 239 



and texture, its growth is so slow that it could never he 

 grown in Britain with a view to profitable money returns ; 

 for aesthetic reasons, however, it deserves a place in planta- 

 tions, more especially on moist clayey or loamy patches on 

 high hill-sides. 



4. THE MOUNTAIN PINE (PINUS MONTANA, Mill) is also a 

 native of the mountains of central and southern Europe, 

 often attaining a height of seventy-five feet, but at high eleva- 

 tions gradually dwindling down to an almost creeping shrub 

 before yielding place to the rhododendrons or Alpine roses. 

 It is found at elevations varying from 550 feet in Silesia to 

 nearly 9,000 feet in northern Italy. Its principal use is as pro- 

 tective forest, binding the soil by means of its extensive root- 

 system, and thereby hindering land-slips and offering mecha- 

 nical opposition to avalanches starting on their destructive 

 course. For Britain its production in forests is fortunately 

 not necessary, and, like the Cembran pine, its cultivation is 

 a matter for the favourable consideration of the arboricul- 

 turist rather than of the forester. Its foliage is somewhat 

 dense, the leaves being retained for four or five years. 



5. NORDMANN'S FIR (ABIES NORDMANNIANA, Link.), in- 

 troduced from the Caucasus in 1845, is a tree of frequent 

 occurrence in the Crimea and the mountainous tracts to the 

 east of that. It makes less demand on the quality of the 

 soil than silver fir, but more than the Scots pine ; it thrives 

 both on light and on binding soil, on fresh or on moist, but 

 evidences a stronger objection to a wet than a dry soil. In 

 its general growth and sylvicultural qualities it resembles the 

 silver fir, but is hardier in respect to frost, as its buds are 

 later in opening ; it suffers badly from deer, however. Owing 

 to its excellent shade-bearing capacity it is very well adapted 

 for the underplanting of pine standards on soils of the better 

 quality. 



