THE COMMON LARCH. 503 



nearest to the bulb, or commencement of the stem of the 

 tree, access of air being necessary to convert them into 

 proper wood, and keeping them protected from external 

 injury. 



Of the various uses to which the Larch is now applied 

 in agricultural and rural affairs, as well as in civil archi- 

 tecture, it is almost unnecessary to enter into detailed par- 

 ticulars, as it is found more generally applicable and effici- 

 ent under varied circumstances than any other tree. For 

 the most important wood- work of buildings, such as beams, 

 joists, couples, &c, it is superior to the best foreign Pine 

 timber, possessing all its lightness with the strength and 

 durability of the oak ; these qualities also render it excel- 

 lent for mill axles and other works subjected to heavy 

 weights and severe cross strains. It is also when old and 

 matured, that is with a large portion of its substance con- 

 verted into red or heart wood, a desirable material for 

 the interior finishing of houses, as we have seen in several 

 instances, as well as for furniture, which takes a beautiful 

 polish and equals the finest satin-wood in appearance ; 

 the only objection to its more general use in the finer 

 departments of the joiner and cabinet-maker being the 

 greater difficulty with which it is brought to a smooth 

 surface under the hands of the workman ; but this by 

 judicious management and proper seasoning, if not over- 

 come, may, at all events, be greatly lessened. Of late 

 years it has also been found to form the best sleepers for 

 railways, and the demand for this purpose annually con- 

 sumes a large proportion of the thinnings from the exten- 

 sive plantations in Scotland and the north of England. 



The early period at which the Larch begins to make 

 a profitable return to the planter, and the comparative 

 value of its wood when young, are features which distin- 

 guish it from other trees. As a mere stake it lias its 



