504 



CONIFERS. 



value, and is far superior in durability to one made of any 

 other tree. At ten or twelve years old Larch thinnings are 

 large enough for small railing, requiring little or no repair 

 for many years. At fifteen and from that to twenty years 

 old it becomes strong enough for posts, and a superior 

 description of railing, and at this age, and until it becomes 

 of a size to cut up for gates, (which for durability we find 

 excel those made of the best Memel timber,) materials for 

 buildings, &c, it may be profitably sawn up, and made 

 into strong four-railed hurdles for fencing off cattle and 

 sheep, and which if taken proper care of, will last good, 

 as we have experienced, for upwards of twenty years. In 

 Kent and Sussex, though the soil of these counties is by 

 no means calculated to produce Larch timber, it is grown 

 for hop-poles, which are found to be of first-rate quality, 

 being planted for this purpose in thick masses, the trees 

 not more than two feet from each other, in order that the 

 stems may be rapidly drawn up in height, and with the 

 requisite degree of slenderness. In this way, Loudon re- 

 marks, and we can corroborate the assertion, " We have 

 seen the Larch at three feet apart drawn up to a height 

 of forty and fifty feet with clear straight stems admirably 

 adapted for hop-poles, and poles for ornamental purposes 

 in gardening. 11 It has also been occasionally used for the 

 formation of living fences, which are said to bear the 

 shears as well as the Spruce. An instance of such a fence 

 is mentioned by Sir T. D. Lauder, in his edition of " Gil- 

 pin, 11 and Loudon describes one made by Mr. Gorrie, who, 

 in order to procure an immediate fence, made use of Larch 

 trees about ten or twelve feet high ; these he planted upon 

 the earth cast out of a four-feet ditch, laying them at an 

 angle of about 30° with the horizon, and so placed that 

 their tops inclined over the ditch towards the interior of 



