230 FORESTRY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. 



dangerous, because if the disease breaks out it will rapidly 

 spread over tlie whole wood. Hence larch in moderate 

 quantity should be mixed with another species which, as it 

 were, separates the individual larch trees. None is better than 

 beech. Here the larch has its best chance. The procedure 

 is to plant a limited number of vigorous larch plants among 

 beech and let them grow up together, protecting the former 

 sufficiently during the thinnings, as it requires to have its 

 head freely exposed to sun and air. 



Another method is to grow larch pure, to thin it out heavily 

 between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five years, and to under- 

 plant it with beech. Of the larch, only the best stems are left 

 to grow into timber trees. 



Unfortunately, very extensive areas of young pure larch 

 woods are found in Britain. Only a few years ago the forester 

 of a large landed proprietor in the Midlands appealed to the 

 author for advice, what to do with some 2,000 acres of young 

 larch which were frightfully diseased. Cases like this are 

 very sad, and the only chance of saving some of the trees as 

 yet unattacked is to cut out as quickly as possible all diseased 

 larches and to underplant with beech, thus preserving 

 healthy conditions for the further development of the 

 remaining trees. Instead of beech, such woods may be under- 

 planted with silver fir or spruce, whenever the latter are likely 

 to give better financial results. Douglas fir has also been tried 

 and ought to do well, since the remaining larches will give 

 it just that shelter which the leading shoots of the Douglas 

 fir so much require. Even Weymouth pine may be used for 

 this purpose. The author has under-planted Scotch pine 

 with that tree, and the results are everything that can be 

 desired. If the Weymouth pine does well under Scotch pine, 

 it will do still better under larch, as that tree gives a lighter 

 cover than the Scotch pine. Mr. Munro Ferguson, the pioneer 

 of rational forestry in Scotland, has, at Novar, underplanted 

 larch at the age of sixteen to twenty years with Douglas fir, 

 Tsmja Merteiisiana, TJtiija gigantea, Cnpressiis Tjansoniana, 



