590 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



NOTES ON THE FOREST TREES OF THE ATLANTIC COAST 

 OF GALICIA AND ON THE FLORA AND VITICULTURE OF 

 THE DISTRICT. 



By A. Worsley, F.R.H.S. 



The districts which I visited extend from near Bayona in the south 

 along the coast to, and including, Arosa Bay in the north. This 

 limited distance includes a long coast-line, for it comprises the bays, 

 or sea lochs, of Vigo, Marin, and Arosa, together with various islands 

 and the peninsula of Garve. Inland, I visited portions of the valley 

 of the Rio Umia, about Cambados and Caldas de Reyes ; the valley 

 and ravines of the Rio Berdugo, and of other streams in the neighbour- 

 hood of Sotomayor, and the country immediately east of the Bay of 

 Vigo. 



All this country is mountainous, but none of it ascends to the 

 4000 feet level. The country rock is micaceous granite, with 

 occasional outcrops of various metamorphosed rocks. 



The rainfall on the lowlands of this district is about 36 inches, 

 a very small part of which falls in the four summer months. Ground- 

 frosts occur, but air-frosts are rare and slight, and are said to miss the 

 Atlantic coast altogether. 



The climate is mild and equable, but subject to violent winds. 

 These are often associated with heavy falls of rain [temporals), and 

 would certainly damage or uproot surface-rooting trees with heavy 

 foliage. It is interesting to observe how the Eucalypti, evolved under 

 totally different climatic conditions, are exactly suited to withstand 

 these storms ; for their deep roots give them a good anchorage into 

 the rock, and their small and sparse foliage offers little resistance to 

 the combination of rain and gale.* As a fact they thrive in this 

 district far better than in their native country. 



The incidence of forest areas is mainly governed by physical and 

 economic conditions. 



The upper zone consists of bare rock, with patches of soil here and 

 there in the hollows. These tracts of upland cannot support timber, 

 and are given over to gorse, various Ericaceous plants, grasses, and 

 mosses. Early in September the mountains, viewed from a distance, 

 were clothed in a garb of sombre brown, for the long summer drought 

 was not yet broken; but, with the autumn rains, they soon became 



* Some writers would ascribe all beneficial evolutionary processes to the 

 laws oi " Adaptation to prevailing conditions" and "Survival ol the fittest," 

 b it in the above instance the prima facie view is that this lortunate accord with 

 ■trange climatic conditions is due to good luck. 



