234 ENGLISH ESTATE FORESTRY 



spruce, with the lower branches dead or dying, and forming a 

 thick, bristly, brown mass, which remains on for many years, 

 for few trees retain their dead branches so persistently as 

 the spruce. This tree should therefore either stand in close 

 masses, or singly as specimen trees, and, when the latter have 

 lost their lower branches, it is better to take them away 

 altogether. 



THE LARCH. 



Although the larch occupies such an important place in 

 woods intended for profit, it cannot be said that it is a great 

 acquisition in ornamental woodlands, except when used in 

 much the same way as recommended for spruce. In old age, 

 however, the larch is, as a rule, much more picturesque than 

 spruce, and, when standing singly or in a small group, is well 

 adapted for giving that amount of deciduous character to 

 evergreen woods which is necessary for the sake of variety. 

 When young, single trees or scattered groups are often orna- 

 mental when healthy and free from disease, for the crown 

 of an isolated larch develops a pendulous or weeping habit, 

 which gives it a lightness and elegance which the majority of 

 conifers lack ; while its open crown in winter, and delicate 

 green foliage and red catkins in spring, afford a pleasing 

 contrast to the heavier and more uniform shades of Scots fir 

 or spruce. 



It is scarcely necessary to add that larch should never 

 be used in ornamental woods in the same way as in mixed or 

 ordinary plantations. By so doing, it not only loses its orna- 

 mental character, but destroys that of the surrounding trees, 

 although it may be a source of profit to some extent. 



THE OAK. 



The oak is undoubtedly the tree which invests an English 

 woodland with its most characteristic features, for, while all 

 other species are either introduced, or more or less peculiar 

 to different localities, the oak is practically ubiquitous, and is 

 an invariable constituent of all natural forests. While there 



