220 OUR FORESTS AND WOODLANDS 



the British forester at present are the Common or 

 Norway Spruce (P. excelsa) and the Menzies or 

 Sitka Spruce (P. Sitkaensis). The former is by far 

 the better known and the more largely cultivated ; 

 but the latter, a tree of giant dimensions like our 

 other Californian immigrant, the Douglas fir, is a 

 species deserving of equal consideration as a profit- 

 able crop. Its timber is hard, firm, and durable, 

 ranking between spruce and Douglas fir in general 

 quality. Indeed, on mild, fresh, loamy, or sandy 

 soils a crop formed mainly of Douglas fir and 

 Menzies spruce, with larch sprinkled here and there 

 having some advance in growth, might perhaps 

 prove one of the most profitable woodland crops 

 that can be grown in Britain. The larch would 

 probably have to be cut out at an early age, as 

 unable to hold its own against the two quicker- 

 growing trees, though not before it might be of 

 marketable size ; and this method would diminish 

 the existing risk of the poles being spoiled by 

 canker. The full advantages of trees like Douglas 

 fir or Menzies spruce, or any other conifer for 

 that matter, can only be obtained, however, where 

 there is likely to be a regular supply of their 

 timber, because mere small lots offered from time 



