OF FOREST-TREES. 285 



The Silver Fir, of a whitish colour, like Rosemary, under the leaf^ is CH. XXII. 

 distinguished from the rest by the pectinal shape of it : The cones not so ^-^"V-W 

 large as the Picea, grow also upright, and this they call the female : for 

 I find botanists not unanimously agreed about the sexes of trees. The 

 layers, and even cuttings of this tree, take root, and improve to trees. 



colour on their upper surface, and marked with whitish lines underneath. The cones are 

 roundish and small. The buds and leaves are remarkably fragrant, hence its name. From 

 wounds made in this tree, is obtained a very fine turpentine, which is sometimes sold in the 

 shops for the true Balm of Gilead. It delights in a rich deep soil, 



10. PINUS CoRiENTALis J folUs solitariis tetragenis, Lin. Sp, PI. 1421. Abies orientalis 

 tolio brevi et tetragono, fructu minimo deorsum inflexo, Tourn. The oriental fir. 



This is a low, but elegant tree. The leaves are very short and nearly square. The cones hang 

 downwards, and are exceedingly small. 



11. PINUS ('L^flixJ foliis fasciculatis obtusis, Lin. Sp. PI. 1420. Larix, folio deciduo, 

 conifera. B. P. 1. p. 263. The larch^tree. 



This tree is of quick growth, and will rise to the height of fifty feet ; the branches are slender, 

 and their ends generally hang downward. These are garnislied with long, narrow leaves, 

 which arise in clusters from one point, and spread open above like the hairs of a painter's 

 brush ; they are of a light green, and fall in autumn, like other deciduous trees. In the month 

 of April the male flowers appear, which are disposed in form of small cones; the female 

 tlowers are collected into oval obluse cones ; these in some kinds have bright purple tops, 

 and in others they are white. These differences, however, are accidental, as the seeds taken 

 from either of the varieties will produce plants of both sorts. The cones are about one inch 

 long, and obtuse at their points ; the scales lie over each other, and are smooth ; under each 

 scale two winged seeds are generally lodged. The Larch is a native of the Alps and Appenine 

 mountains, and is now very common in all the nurseries of this kingdom. It is remarked 

 that those trees which have been planted in the worst soils, and most exposed situations, 

 have thriven the best, which is a great encouragement. At Rufford, the seat of the late 

 Sir George Savile, there are large plantations of Larch upon a blowing sand, in which situation 

 they far outstrip every other kind of tree. Some trees, cannot bear too great a luxuriancy, and 

 the Larch, in particular, is apt to grow top-heavy from much shelter and nourishment: They 

 should, therefore, be planted in clumps, and not as single trees; neither should the plants be 

 taken from very warm nurseries, if intended to be placed out upon exposed situations, but 

 rather raised as near the spot as possible, taking care that the soil be good. When they ^re 

 intended to grow large, they should not exceed three or four years when planted ; for though 

 trees of a greater size will remove very well, yet experience has shewn us that the youngest 

 trees, with good roots, bear change of situation the best. The Larch is a tree as yet but little 

 known in this kingdom ; but there is great reason to apprehend that it will prove a very 

 important acquisition to the planter. In Switzerland they cos'er the roofs of their houses 

 with shingles made of Larch. These are generally cut about one foot square, and half an inch 

 in thickness, which they nail to the rafters. At first the roof appears white, but in two or 

 three years it becomes as black as coal, and all the joints are stopped by the resin which the 

 sun extracts from the pores of the wood. This shining varnish renders the roof impenetrable 



