LARCH: JAPANESE 397 



sporophores, attacks the roots of young and old trees, and 

 usually very rapidly kills them. 



Trametes pini attacks the stems, usually when more than 

 20 years old ; it decomposes the heartwood, but does not 

 affect the sapwood. The trees gradually become hollow or 

 "pumped." 



Polyporus sulphurous produces red rot in the timber. 



Tramates radiciperda (Fouies annosus) attacks the roots. 

 It produces a red rot, and causes the base of the stem to 

 become hollow. 



Of Insects. Argyresthia laevigatella(or Tinea Icevigatelld) 

 hollows out and destroys the leading shoot and also the side 

 shoots. 



Coleophora (or Tinea) laricella = The Larch Mining Moth, 

 burrows into the needles and kills much of the foliage of the 

 trees. The attacked foliage looks as though it were frost- 

 bitten. 



Chermes laricis = the Larch Bug or Larch Aphis, often 

 does great damage, especially in plantations up to about 20 

 years of age. The sap is sucked from the leaves. In late 

 spring and early autumn the trees often look as though covered 

 by pieces of cotton wool ; for the young lice, on hatching out, 

 soon get covered with a white fluffy down. 



This Aphis is the sexless form of Chermes abietis. 

 Hence, this is another reason against having mixtures of 

 Larch and Spruce. 



THE JAPANESE LARCH. 



The Japanese Larch is native to the central part of Japan, 

 and was introduced about 1861. 



As to Seed. One pound of seed contains about 103,500 

 seeds, and the germinative capacity of the seed is about 35 per 

 cent. The latter, however, varies very considerably from year 

 to year, in some years being almost nil, whilst in other years 

 it is as much as 60 to 65 per cent. 



Cultivation, etc. The tree is very similar to the European 

 Larch in most of its requirements. It grows, however, con- 



