140 FORESTS, WOODS, AND TREES 
succumbs to heart-rot. It suffers much from exposure to 
wind, and cannot therefore be planted at such high eleva- 
tions as spruce. On Kerry Hill in Wales, and in Coombe 
Plantation, Keswick, spruce yields a fair amount of timber 
up to 1500 feet, while larch is useless above 1250 feet 
elevation. Larch should never be planted in wet ground, 
and when very wet spots occur in a plantation, larch should 
be replaced by Sitka spruce. 
Larch develops superficial roots and thrives on shallow 
soils provided they contain a good deal of moisture. It 
grows well, as a rule, on the slopes of hills, where the soil is 
porous and well-drained. While its use in afforestation 
is somewhat limited, yet there are generally extensive areas 
where its cultivation may be attempted with success. In 
the hill pasture zone it is adapted for planting in valleys, 
in ravines, and on sheltered hillsides; and it may be 
carried up into the heather moor, when the situation is not 
too exposed or too elevated. On sandy heaths, where Scots 
pine is at home, larch may be introduced wherever there 
is sufficient moisture ; but it is not so suitable for pure 
sand as the pine. 
Planted in mixture with other trees as a nurse, it can be 
early removed in the shape of thinnings, since even slender 
poles contain heartwood ; but this practice must be carried 
out with discretion, as there are mixtures in common use 
which are very unsuitable. 
Larch should never be planted pure, as this invites the 
attack of disease. Being a light-demanding tree, the soil is 
not improved by its sparse leaf-fall and feeble shade. To 
avert disease, vigour of growth must be fostered by improve- 
ment of the soil, which is brought about by mixing the 
larch with some shade-bearing tree. Beech is the best 
species for this purpose in most situations, though chestnut 
may be tried in mild climates on sandy soil, and hornbeam 
in cold localities on clay. Proper treatment is also necessary 
to keep off disease; and larch plantations must be thinned 
early, heavily, and often. This is necessary to remove sup- 
pressed and enfeebled trees suffering from lack of light, as 
