38 FORESTRY OF JAPAN. 



an imposing spectacle is nowhere found throughout Japan. 

 The wood is rough and light, and subject to warping by the 

 degree of its dryness, yet its demand as the material for build- 

 ings and earth works is quite large, being equalled by no other 

 timber supplied by Hokkaido and Karafuto. 



Akaezo-matsu {Picea Glehni Mast.). This is an important 

 tree growing together with Todo-matsu {Abies sacJialinensis 

 Mast.) and Ezo-matsu {Picea ajancnsis FiscJi.) in Karafuto but 

 the output is not very large. Compared with these two 

 varieties, it enjoys a greater and a higher quotation. The 

 wood being hard, it is highly appreciated for building purposes. 

 In Karafuto, Etrop and Shikotan of the Kurile group, there 

 are found a species of Larix leptolepis Gord, called Shikotan- 

 matsu {Larix dahurica Turez. var. japonica Maxim.) which 

 even in the rigorous climate and against cold winds form 

 forests by themselves. The wood is reddish in colour and 

 hard in its composition and stands moisture for a lengthy 

 period so that as the material for shipbuildings, public engine- 

 erings and household furnitures, its demand is very large. To 

 this list, we may add such deciduous broad-leaved trees as 

 Shira-kaba {Betula alba L. var. vulgaris Dc), Yamahan-no-Ki 

 {Alnus incana Willd. var. glauca Ait.), Nanakamado {Pirns 

 aucuparia Gaertn var. japonica Maxim.). Throughout this 

 zone, there are found pure forests of these species or mixed 

 with other trees in various places. The land in Karafuto and 

 Hokkaido covered by these forests is by no means limited 

 in its extent, but these trees have no special value in the 

 forestry. The supply from these forests is made in the way 

 of fuel and timber for the purposes of mining and fishery. 



