M^ 



In his study of the high moor of Augstumal in the Memel delta, 

 Weber^ gives very interesting illustrations of the crippled forms of pines, 

 corresponding to the Pinus silvestris f. turfosa, \A^illk. Here he describes 

 also the crippled birches, whose roots, like 

 those of the Scotch fir, always show splen- 

 didly developed mycorrhiza. The trunk, 

 usually only a few centimetres thick, is most- 

 ly bent and knarled, and covered below with 

 a seamed bark, a very striking feature in such 

 small trees. To this it should be added that 

 these small birches usually only about 1.5 

 m. high form a well set top. On an average, 

 the main root penetrates only 15 to 20 cm. in- 

 to the soil, then bends to one side, to run 

 parallel with the surface. The roots, spreading 

 sidewards, attain to 3 to 4 times the length of 

 the trunk. The vegetation on the high moor 

 is best characterized by a specimen of Betula 

 pubescens described by Weber-. The upper 

 trunk, which had white rot at the top, was 

 1.8 m. high; the wood from which the bark 

 had been removed was possibly 34 mm. in 

 diameter above the root neck and had 51 

 annual rings, the last eleven of which alto- 

 gether were only 0.9 to 2.6 mm. wide. The 

 little tree was just beginning to become 

 blasted at the top and was overgrown for 30 

 cm. above the root neck with Sphagnum 

 medium and >S. acutifolium. 



In cultivation, it is not only necessary to 

 break through the swamp ore layer, but also 

 to bring it up to the surface of the soil. In 

 the air, it decomposes to a brown sand, 

 which gradually becomes lighter in color be- 

 cause the organic elements have weathered. 

 Freezing the swamp ore hastens this process 

 greatly. The decomposition usually takes 

 place more quickly when the content in or- 

 ganic substances is higher. Brown colored 

 swamp ore (rich in humus) is usually de- 

 composed in a year; on the other hand, 

 the light colored (which is poor in humus), only after 2 



Fig'. 32. Canker-like, wounded 



place on the moor pine. 

 c the (deepest lyiner) wood centre, 

 / edges of the wound rising: like ter- 

 races in which the most recent, /, are 

 the most rolled back and the old bark. 

 r. covering it, which is breaking loose 

 in squarrous pieces, 7t' dying, outer- 

 most edge of the wound, / lichen 

 growths. (Orig.) 



to 4 years. 



1 C. A. Weber Ueber die Vegetation und Entstehung- des Hoclimoors von Aug- 

 stumal Im Memeldelta, etc. Berlin. Paul Parey, 1902, pp. 40 ff. 



2 Log. cit. p. 47. 



