TREES FOE WATEE CATCHMENT AEEAS 127 



stem, attaining 30 to 70 feet in height, but slow in growth. 

 It is extremely hardy, suffering little from snow, and occurs 

 at high elevations on the poorest soil. Both these forms 

 of Pinus montana grow better in wild, wet, undraiued bog 

 than any other species ; but in such circumstances their 

 growth is very slow. At Knockboy, Connemara, 490 acres 

 of peat, at no great elevation, but fully exposed to the west 

 wind, were planted in 1891—1894 with over two million 

 trees, comprising 16 broad-leaved species and ten conifers. 

 Practically none of these survive, except two species — Pinus 

 montana, which has thriven over the whole area, but had 

 attained only 6 feet in height in 1915, and maritime pine, 

 of which there were a few groups about 20 feet high. 



Neither form can ever be expected to attain a useful 

 size or be grown commercially in this country. It is 

 possible, however, that Pinus montana may be of considerable 

 value in the heather zone on exposed sites, in mixture 

 with Sitka spruce, Corsican pine, or silver fir. It would 

 greatly improve the peaty soil by its decaying leaves, 

 producing good humus, which would favour the growth of 

 the other species. Its dense foliage, persisting on the 

 branches five to ten years, also protects the soil. It has 

 been tried of late years on high moorland at Corrour in 

 Inverness-shire ; and reference may be made to articles by 

 Sir John Stirling Maxwell in Trans. Boy. Scot. Arbor. Soc. 

 XX. 6 (1907), xxi. 1-15 (1908), xxiii.'l57 (1910), and 

 xxviii. 77 (1914). See also Quarterly Journal of Forestry, 

 x. 126 (1916). Pinus montana may also be used in 

 mixture with other trees in shelter belts on wet peaty soils. 



Pinus Insignis, a native of Monterey in California, 

 makes remarkably fast growth in the milder parts of 

 England, Wales, Ireland, and south-west Scotland. This 

 vigour, often an increase of three feet in height annually, is 

 kept up on the poorest soils, provided the situation is a 

 mild one near the sea-coast. In inland places the young 

 shoots are often injured by frost ; and in exposed cold 

 situations trees may be killed outright during exceptionally 



