.•i54- NOTES ON BRITISH FOREST TREES. 



,S',>//. — Silver lir requires a deep, fresh and fertile soil, 

 rather binding than loose. Loamy soils suit it best, though 

 it will do well on sandy soils, if fresh. Dry or acid soils do 

 not suit it. 



il. Slnijir (Hill l)i'Vrloinm-iil. 



The silver lir develops a slrai«^ht and undivided stem, 

 occasional forking excepted, with comparatively thin branches. 

 The crown maintains a conical shape until the height growth 

 has been completed, when the top becomes Hat ; in free 

 standing trees it extends almost down to the ground, and even 

 in crowded woods to nearly one-half the length of the stem. 

 It has a fairly deep going root system. 



Silver tir is of very slow height growtli during the lirst 10 to 

 15 years of life, then the rate increases to such an extent that 

 it reaches ultimately a greater height than any other British 

 forest tree except spruce and the recently introduced Douglas 

 tir. Woods of an average height of 120 feet are frequently 

 seen, and single trees occasionally attain a height of 150 feet. 



In volume increment silver tir is probably only surpassed 

 by the Douglas tir. Silver fir rarely reaches an age of more 

 than 800 years. 



r. Rt'iiiiKhirlirr Poircr. 



Silver iir produces full crops of seed from the 70th year 

 onwards. Such crops are but light, and in favourable 

 localities they occur at intervals of two to three years. On 

 the whole the i-eproductive power by seed is not great. Repro- 

 duction from the stool may be said to be nW. 



/'. (lidraricr (did Coiiiiiusilioii nf Woods. 



Silver lir is excellently suited for pure woods; it has a 

 dense foliage, and maintains a cover overhead to an advanced 

 age, under ^Yhich a thick growth of moss springs up, thus 

 preserving a suitable degree of nu)istur(; in the soil. 



It also forms a suitable stock with which other valuable 

 timber trees, such as spruce, larch, Scotch pine, oak, etc., 

 may be mixed. It is most frequently found mixed with spruce. 



