344 



The Larches. 



fir {Picea exeelsa), and some of the California species, especially the 

 Douglas fir. 



1392. Experience in the North-western States has somewhat dis- 

 appointed expectations with reference to the European larch ; not 

 as to the rapidity of its growth, but as to the durability of its 

 timber. As a general rule the solidity, strength, and durability 

 of the wood in any given species, is in inverse proportion to the 



169. Larix £«ropeo.— European Larch, Blossoms, Leaves, and Fruit. 



rapidity of its grown, and it is not until the light and porous sap- 

 wood has had an opportunity to change by time into the mature 

 and more solid heart-wood, that it acquires those qualities that give 

 it greatest value. 



1393. It is not improbable that the larch of rapid growth might 

 in time acquire these qualities of excellence, but it is hopeless to 



