CHAPTER VII 



CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMON FOREST TREES 



THE following notes indicate the chief individual requirements 

 of each of the more common forest trees of these islands. 



I. Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris). 



Distribution. It is indigenous to this country, at one time 

 forming vast pine woods in Scotland, but it is most prevalent on 

 the shores of the Baltic. 



Soil. This species accommodates itself in a remarkable manner 

 to a variety of soils and climates, growing both on dry sandy soils 

 and marshy ground. A fairly deep soil is appreciated. 



Nursery treatment. The seed ripens in the October of the 

 year following that in which the cone is first formed, and the 

 cones are best gathered in the following December. A good sample 

 should show a germinating capacity of about 70 per cent. 



The seedlings should be planted out in lines at the age of 

 two years, and they should stay in these lines for another two 

 years. 



Two-year-old seedlings are sometimes used for planting, but 

 this is hardly advisable for fear of the small plants being suppressed 

 by weeds and grass. 



In this country, woods are usually established by planting 

 young trees raised in a nursery. Sowing directly on the site on 

 which it is proposed to establish the wood, is seldom successful, 



