494 CONIFERiE. 



naked hills around Blair and Dunkeld with a valuable 

 and luxuriant forest, its introduction had not been lost sight 

 of or neglected by other Highland proprietors, for we find 

 that towards the middle of the last century, a mixture of 

 Larch had already been introduced in plantations of Scotch 

 Pine, and was carried as far as the limited supply of plants 

 would then permit, and this proportion continued to be 

 increased, as the supply became more abundant, till at 

 length by the close of the century, the Larch had, in a great 

 measure, superseded the Pine, which previously had been 

 the principal, indeed, almost the only, tree planted in those 

 localities. At the same time its cultivation continued to pro- 

 gress rapidly throughout the Lowlands and the north of 

 England, and it began to form a constituent in all mixed 

 plantations ; public attention having been particularly direct- 

 ed towards it, not only by the writings of Dr. Anderson, 

 who, under the name of Agricola, had, about the year 1777, 

 strongly recommended it as a valuable timber tree, but 

 by the actual and convincing proof which the earlier 

 planters of the tree now had of its great superiority 

 over the other species of firs, in regard to the quality of 

 its wood, in those instances where they had occasion to 

 make use of the thinnings. Further trial only served to 

 confirm the favourable impression of its value and ap- 

 plicability to various purposes, and it has ever since con- 

 tinued to be extensively cultivated, and to form a chief con- 

 stituent in all plantations throughout Scotland, and in 

 many parts of England, whether, as in the hilly districts, 

 they be formed of one or two species only, as of the Larch 

 and Scotch Pine, or in those where a variety of deciduous 

 as well as evergreen species are introduced. 



In the Highlands, when the Larch is planted with a 

 mixture of Scotch Pine, which is still occasionally done 



