Decay in gronsoing Larch and Spruce. 387 



for instance, in Britain, is grown at Dunkeld. The Athole 

 frigate was built of it, and has well proved its durabilit}^ Those 

 grown among the rocks are the soundest. When they were 

 planted, there was hardly soil enough to cover their roots, but 

 their foliage annually falling and decaying in crevices of the 

 rocks, formed sufficient soil for them ; and the supply increases as 

 they advance in age. Larch grow there as in their native Alps. 

 To this it may be objected, that the oldest larches in Britain, 

 viz. those at Dunkeld, grow in garden soil, as do other fine trees 

 in various places, especially in North Britain. For instance, at 

 Melville House, Fifeshire, there are or were some fine larch 

 trees growing on good land; and at the Whim, Peeblesshire, 

 there are fine healthy spruce firs on wet bog soil. As these 

 trees must have made strong growths, tliey may appear to offer 

 a dii'ect contradiction to the above statement, namely, that over- 

 growth in youth and undergrowth in age combine to cause the 

 rot. It must be considered, however, that the aged trees at 

 Dunkeld were kept when young as green-house plants, and 

 probably stunted, so that they formed small-grained wood at 

 first. Though they made large growths afterwards, the trees 

 grew apart from others, and were not robbed of their supplies, 

 so that it is most probable that their outside growths are in the 

 same proportion as those of the inside. The same will apply 

 to the other two cases mentioned above ; and, so far from their 

 being at variance with my theory, it was from having observed 

 them that 1 was led to its adoption. Still it may be alleged 

 that trees grow thick together in their native forests, and yet 

 produce the best wood. This is true, but it must be remembered 

 that the trees are in their natural climate, which is nmch colder 

 than ours, and, of course, make slow growths. Those made 

 while the trees are young are often the smallest, reversing the 

 growth of our climate, where the trees that have grown quickly 

 when young, are often starved in their after growth. This is 

 not the case in natural forests, where trees find abundant nourish- 

 ment from the mass of decayed vegetable matter which falls from 

 the trees, and is not swept away like that in artificial plantations. 

 From the rot being more prevalent now than it was formerly, 

 it has been supposed that the trees are of a different kind from 

 those first planted. It has been said that they came from North 

 America. This I do not believe ; but, if it were true, it is not 

 probable that they were natives of colder regions than those 

 first planted here, and if so, they would not produce wood of 

 coarser grain, or more likely to decay. If there are some 

 varieties raised in this country from the original stock, they 

 would be more likely to become naturalised here, and would 

 perhaps stand better than the original trees ; yet it is a well- 

 known fact that some of the progeny of the ancient trees have 



