THE LAECH. 375 



older ones by the gnawing and breeding of a weevil, Pissodes 

 pini, as well as by a woolly aphis Cryptococcus, sp. A bark 

 beetle, Tomicus hideiitatus, is occasionally injurious. 



The Weymouth pine suffers from many of the fungi which 

 attack Scotch pine, but in a less degree. Agar'uus melleus and 

 Trametes radiciperda, however, do more damage, as they 

 frequently kill young trees of this species. 



The woods should be kept crowded so as to kill off the lower 

 branches, hence thinnings must be light until the height 

 growth falls off. The dry branches remain for a long time on 

 the stem, and it is desirable to remove them. Cutting oft" 

 green l)ranches cannot be recommended, because it causes the 

 stems to grow unevenly. 



20. Larch — Larix europcea (D.C.). 

 a. Utilify. 



The timber is moderately heavy, average specific gravity, 

 air dried, = '62, soft, splits fairly well, very durable, lasting 

 longer than any other coniferous timber grown in Britain ; it 

 yields good firewood. 



Larch is the best coniferous timber grown in Britaui, for 

 construction above and below ground ; it is also used for ship 

 building. Li Britain it is used for a great variety of purposes ; 

 it is much prized for railway sleepers, mining purposes, and 

 makes ah excellent fencewood. Its price per cubic foot is 

 generally about double that of Scotch pine timber. The bark 

 is used for tanning and dyeing. It yields Venetian turpentine. 



h. Distrihufion. 

 The homes of the larch are the Alps, the Carpathian and 

 Moravian mountains, and Siberia, the latter being now 

 considered a separate species. It has been cultivated in many 

 countries, so that it is now found all over Europe between 

 about the 42nd and 58th degrees of latitude. Larch is a true 

 mountain tree ; it is generally found in the Alps between 



