SiG 
CONIFER.E. — THE LARIX, OR LARCH TREE. 
to the truth is that by Mr. Gorrie, and in 
these words, which are a commentary on 
Matthews's plaD of probing the roots of the 
Larch, and laying bare those fitted for knees in 
shipbuilding : — " Cutting the roots of a grow- 
ing Larch is dangerous, and will inevitably pro- 
duce rot ! " 
This, however, as the sequel will show, is 
short of the real cause. "When a Larch plant 
springs from the seed, it sends down a long 
tapering or tap root, in shape resembling a 
carrot or parsnip, so that if a seedling one 
year old be carefully taken up, it will be found 
to have a long leading root, furnished all the 
way with small minute fibres — quite a carrot 
root in miniature. To say that the part of 
the plant at the surface of the soil, and the 
whole length of the top must have the closest 
connexion and sympathy with the root just 
described, is only repeating what every one 
must see to be indisputable. Well, this plant 
is taken up, its root shortened with the pru- 
ning knife to within a few inches of the stem, 
or if not touched with the knife, it is other- 
wise compelled by frequent transplantation to 
give vp its tap root. It strives to regain it ; 
but no : the tree is removed again, and after 
many shiftings, all trace of the leading root is 
lost ; and in the language of nurserymen, 
it is at last furnished with "fine fibrous or 
matted roots." The tiny seedling commenced 
with a good foundation : the first thing it did 
was to send its root deep into the soil — a 
root of iron — the same rigidity of fibre per- 
vading its upward growth. Now, will any 
one say, that at the end of four or five years 
after its many shiftings, this hardy constitu- 
tion bas not suffered violence ? The heart of 
the stem, during its first year's growth, was 
formed and fostered by the tap root ; and 
when that is lost, it is only natural to conclude 
that the centre should, in many instances, 
decay also. It will scarcely do to say that the 
side or fibrous roots will administer the same 
nourishment to the tree, inasmuch as the 
infant stem was part and parcel of the tap 
root, which, under the common process, the 
plant is compelled to relinquish. It is true, 
the common mass of fibrous roots will support 
the plant, which, in all appearances, flourishes 
as before : they perform their office, but they 
nourish only a living sepulchre, worthless for 
aught, except shelter and show. 
Where is the analogy to all this ? Why, 
experience teaches us that frequent transplan- 
tation has a tendency to subdue and soften the 
rigidity of fibre, which all young trees possess : 
in the case of the crab tree, it lessens the 
sharpness and sourness of its fruit ; and it is 
well known that in Spain and Portugal, where 
large plantations of the chestnut are made, the 
practice of frequently shifting the trees is 
resorted to, for the purposes both of checking 
their growth, and freeing the nuts from that 
woody taste which they otherwise have. It 
ameliorates and subdues the wildness of their 
native character, and it must have a corre- 
sponding effect on the texture of their timber. 
All this, then, is accomplished by the destruc- 
tion of the main or tap root. A somewhat 
analogous instance may be drawn from animal 
physiology. Take the tooth. Physiologists 
tell us that " hard and resisting as the teeth 
appear, they are, nevertheless, endowed with 
the same vital properties as other parts ; and 
the root of each is perforated longitudinally 
by a small canal, through which the blood- 
vessels and nerve are admitted into its internal 
structure. From those blood-vessels the tooth 
derives its nourishment." The main, or tap 
root of a tree may, with some propriety, there- 
fore, be considered as the nerve of the plant, 
which, if damaged, causes that decay which 
the side roots are insufficient to ward off. 
But, lest these analogies should prove to be 
but fancied ones, let us look only at facts. In 
the self-sown plantations of Blair, Ballindal- 
loch, Relugas, and Altyre, where the trees 
were never transplanted, and where the tap 
root is uninjured, the disease is unknown : 
and further, so far as I can ascertain, it bas 
not discovered itself in those districts where one 
and two years seedlings have been used in 
trenched soil. It appears therefore, that plan- 
tations of larches should, if possible, be sown 
where the plants are intended to remain ; that 
it is better to use one year seedlings than those 
which are two years old ; and again, that two 
years old plants are to be preferred to those 
which are taken from nursery lines. It is not 
intended to be said that every one or two 
years seedling larch, even in soil which has 
been loosened to the depth of two feet, will 
produce a tree free from the rot : such plants 
may receive injuries which cannot be over- 
come ; and it is equally clear that many of 
those which have been often shifted may yet 
retain the original root, or at least the power 
of forming to themselves new tap roots. Al- 
together, the subject is important beyond 
example, and deserves the closest attention. 
One year seedling plants are Is. 6d. per 1000 ; 
two years old plants are 3s. 6d. per 1000 ; 
and transplanted plants are from 10s. to 20s. 
per 1000 (1846). 
Varieties. — These are numerous, and some 
of them well entitled to be cultivated as 
curious and ornamental. L. europcea, how- 
ever, is the only one claiming consideration as 
a timber tree. 
L. e. pendula (weeping Larch). — A very 
distinct variety discovered amongst plants 
raised from seeds sent from the Tyrol. It is 
much more robust than the American weeping 
