CONIFERS FOR ECONOMIC PLANTING. 155 



inferior quality as hardly to fetch the price of second-rate 

 firewood. 



The Giant Arbor vitse {Thuya oi^antea). Whether 

 for utility or ornament, we have in this species a valuable addi- 

 tion to our forest trees, and it is the opinion of those who are 

 most competent to judge that it will be one of the trees of the 

 future in this country. After a fair and impartial trial on my 

 own part I have found it to be quite hardy, even at high 

 altitudes, a fast grower and rapid timber producer, a non- 

 fastidious subject as regards the quality of soil in which it is 

 planted, and one of the easiest managed and most accom- 

 modating of trees. 



From my note-book I find that the average annual rate of 

 growth of twenty-six specimens growing under dissimilar 

 conditions is 22 inches. The timber of thirty years' growth 

 that I had cut up and converted was of good quality, but 

 much better results may be expected from more fully matured 

 wood. As only about half a century has elapsed since the in- 

 troduction of the tree, we must be careful in sounding its 

 praises ; but so far our experiments with both the tree and its 

 timber are highly encouraging. It may be well to mention 

 that there are several forms of this tree, some quite valueless 

 for economic planting. 



The Norway Spruce {Picea excelsd). The value of 

 the common or Norway spruce in economic planting is al- 

 ready well-known, fully-matured timber having been largely 

 cut up and converted for many estate purposes. Though 

 not equal to either the larch or Corsican pine in lasting pro- 

 perties, the wood of the spruce is yet sufficiently durable 

 to cause it to have been largely employed in fencing and 

 the erection of sheds and out-buildings. One great point 

 in favour of the tree is that it will grow where many 

 others would fail, while it grows rapidly, and affords a great 

 amount of shelter. 



The Austrian Pine {P^ Laricio austriaca), where shelter 

 is a point of first importance, stands, perhaps, unrivalled by 

 any other coniferous tree. Of fairly good quality, too, is the 



