84 ELEMENTS OF S YLVICULTUKE . 



dense canopy, its crown becomes contracted and the 

 tree withers away quickly and dies. 



In France the Scotch pine grows rather fast, and 

 even very fast while young, no matter as a rule what 

 be the soil or climate ; towards the age of sixty the 

 annual rings diminish greatly in thickness and the 

 growth becomes slow. In its natural home it lives 

 for many centuries, and is a lofty tree, although the 

 diameter seldom exceeds three feet. In a temperate 

 climate and in too moist a soil, the centre of the bole 

 decays after 120 or 140 years, especially if the tree 

 have grown up in a homogeneous crop. 



USES. Scotch pine of good quality, containing a 

 fair proportion of solid resin, yields first class timber 

 for building, whether on shore or on sea. It is in 

 great demand for masts in the French navy, but for 

 this purpose it must have grown slowly and regularly, 

 which conditions alone can ensure great elasticity. 

 In France its growth is too irregular, and its shape 

 generally too faulty for the above purpose ; thus it 

 is only used for carpenters' work. Its great durability 

 makes it useful in the construction of bridges. For 

 these various uses, it is essential to remove the 

 sapwood, which often forms a large proportion of the 

 log. It has been tried for railway sleepers ; but its 

 sapwood requires to be impregnated, and it is said to 

 have the disadvantage of being easily crushed under 

 a heavyweight. Boat builders on the Rhine work 

 it up into long scantlings for the sides of boats, in 

 which the sapwood is retained in spite of its bad 

 quality. Ordinary planking is also obtained from it. 

 Lastly, of all the conifers, its fuel is the most valu- 



