IMPORTANT FOREST SPECIES 405 



sometimes open in autumn, but usually during the following spring. They are per- 

 sistent and, when empty, are brownish-black in color; they are readily distinguishable 

 from the new reddish-gray cones. 



Seed. — Larch seed falls in March; if the ground is then covered with crusted snow 

 seeds in the hollows where they have been carried by the wind are easily gathered with 

 a broom. Another way of gathering seed in March is by beating the branches with a 

 pole and collecting them in sheets at the foot of the tree. Seeds so gathered are better 

 in quality than those obtained by artificially opening the cones by heat. The suc- 

 cessful extraction of seeds is difficult if the heat is at all above the normal 15° C. to 

 17° C. (59° F. to 62.6° F.). The rosin contained in the cones becomes fluid and seals 

 the scales. Seeds purchased in the market are rarely more than 34 per cent to 45 per cent 

 good; sometimes much less. An easy test may be made by putting the seeds into water; 

 those that float are usually sterile. . . . When seeds are fresh they average 58,000 

 to the pound, 58,300 to a quart. If fresh, germination is rapid — within 3 to 4 weeks. 

 They may be preserved for 3 to 4 years, but in the latter case the germination is propor- 

 tionately slower. Seedlings may not sprout until the second or even the third year. In 

 the lowlands a good plan is to soak the seeds in water for 10 to 15 days before spring 

 sowing; the softening greatly facilitates and hastens germination. 



Seedlings. — Seedlings have five to seven cotyledons (generally six) and immediately 

 produce a shoot with solitary unindented leaves (leaves of silver fir and pine are indented 

 at the edges). At first small and slender, the seedling reaches, under favorable condi- 

 tions, some 4 to 5 inches in height at the end of the first year; its tap root is then from 6 

 to 10 inches according to the soil. The seedling grows to 2 to 3 feet in height at the end 

 of 2 or 3 years. 



Bark. — The bark is somewhat similar to that of the pines, both on account of its 

 creviced, scaly surface and because of its structure and method of growth. There are, 

 however, some differences. . . . 



Distribution. — Its habitat coincides with the high mountains of Central Europe 

 forming a narrow strip westerly and southwesterly, from the Maritime and Dauphine 

 Alps to the North and South Carpathians, about 20 degrees, from the third to the 

 twenty-third degree of longitude. Its southern limit is beyond Nice; its northern hmit 

 does not reach in the Carpathians beyond the fiftieth degree of latitude. This species 

 thus is confined to the high mountain areas of middle latitudes and does not extend (like 

 the spruce or silver fir) to the northern plains. Perhaps it would not find there the 

 sum of the temperature, that is 1,672° C, that it requires during the vegetative period. 

 Spruce is less exacting, being satisfied with 1,450° C. 



Larch grows naturally in France only in the Savoy, Dauphine, and Provence Alps, 

 where it begins at an altitude of 3,281 feet in the North, 3,940 feet in the South, and 

 reaches up to 8,200 feet (and with cembric pine, the extreme limits of vegetation, in the 

 Alpine pastures). 



The vegetative requirements are: At least 1° C. (33.8° F.) and at most 8° C. (46.4° F.) 

 annual temperature with a rest of at least 4 months. Larch prefers well-sheltered coves 

 at high altitudes but does well on calcary, dolomite, schist, or sandy soils, if they are 

 sufficiently light, fresh, and deep. Larch will not stand crowding; the forests are 

 therefore always open, with fine grass which can be regularly cut or grazed. It even 

 helps to restore the range where impoverished by overgrazing. 



Endeavors have been made to grow larch outside its natural habitat. ... It wiU 

 often grow with remarkable vigor during youth, but shows early signs of premature de- 

 cline. In these cases its timber is of poor quahty (but very useful ... for hop poles). 



Timber. — Larch timber has a very conspicuous and well defined light yellow sap- 

 wood, containing six to twenty annual rings which form as a rule a very thin layer. 



