CHAPTER I 
INTRODUCTION 
The relation of a fungus to its host. Life-history of a fungus. The 
morphology of the larch ; long and dwarf shoots; internal structure of 
the stem. 
Historical. The history of larch-growing in Britain pre-. 
sents features of peculiar interest. In no other tree have 
such high hopes been placed, hopes which too often have 
led to disappointment, and with no other tree has it been so 
necessary to modify the method of sylvicultural treatment 
on account of liability to disease. 
The story is as follows. The larch, which is a native of 
the Alps, Carpathians, and a part of southern Russia, was 
introduced in the early part of the seventeenth century. It 
was then only grown for decorative purposes, and a hundred 
years elapsed before the larch was employed as a timber- 
producing species. From 1730 onwards, however, it was 
planted extensively in Scotland, particularly by three 
successive Dukes of Atholl on their estates of Atholl and 
Dunkeld, and the faith of its ducal sponsors proved to be 
so well founded that the tree waxed great in popularity, 
and before the close of the century large plantations might 
have been found on the south as well as on the north side 
of the Tweed. 
In 1820 a frigate was built for the navy of Scotch larch 
to test the durability of the wood under conditions of 
exposure. She was appropriately called the Athol, after 
the duke who grew the timber, and for the sake of com- 
parison the Nieman, also a ship of war, was built at about 
the same time of Baltic fir (i.e. Scots pine). According to 
Laslett, who wrote in 1875, when he was Inspector of 
Timber to the Admiralty, the former lasted for a very 
1888 B 
