214 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
and similar purposes. Charcoal is largely made from the 
wood of the alder. 
14. The Common Birch. (Betula albx, L.) 
The name birch is derived from the Latin word 
ba‘uere, to beat, the fasces of the Roman lictors being 
always made of birch rods. The birch is found iu moun¬ 
tainous rocky situations, and growing wild in plains and 
peaty soils. There are only one or two other ligneous 
plants which approach so near the North Pole. The wood 
is white, shaded with red, and of medium durability in 
temperate climates, bnt lasting a long time when grown 
in the extreme north. It is largely used in turnery. 
Order Corylaceai, two species, belonging to two genera. 
15. The Common or British Oak. (Quercus pedunculata, 
Willd.) 
The oak, in point of usefulness to man, is only equalled 
by the pme. Loudon says:—‘‘The latter may be con¬ 
sidered the domestic, and the former the defensive tree 
of civilised society.” The wood of the oak is, compara¬ 
tively with that of other trees, hard, compact, heavy, 
tough, and durable ; and the entire plant, and more 
especially the bark, leaves, and fruit, abound in astringent 
matter and in tannin. It is unnecessary to mention the 
great use to which the wood of the oak is, or rather has in 
days gone by been, put. Although we no longer fight with 
“ wooden walls,” and the wood of this tree may not be so 
much in demand, yet the oak will still be looked upon as 
the monarch of the forest. 
16. The Common Hazel (Oorylus Avellana, L.) 
Found in abundance on the banks of the Rivers Tay, 
Almond, and Ericht. The wood of the hazel is never 
found of a large size. The rods are chiefly used for 
making crates and walking-sticks. 
Order Taxacecs, one species. 
17. The Common Yew. ( Taxus baccata, L.) 
Seldom found growing wild, but much grown as an orna¬ 
mental plant in shrubberies, and for forming hedges, for 
which latter purpose, when kept clipped, it is well adapted. 
Being an evergreen of a sombre green colour, it is much 
used for planting in cemeteries and churchyards. The 
wood is hard, compact, of a fine close grain, flexible, elastic, 
and splitting readily, of a fine orange red, or deep brown 
colour. It is universally allowed to be the finest European 
wood for cabinet-making purposes. 
Order Conifercc, two species, belonging to two genera. 
18. The Scotch Pine or Scotch Fir. (Pinus sylvestris, L.) 
The Scotch pine is the most valuable, as regards its 
timber, of all the European species of Pinus. It will grow 
on almost every kind of soil, and at great elevations, as well 
as on plains. The varieties and variations of the Scotch 
pine are exceedingly numerous, both as to the general 
appearance of the tree, and the quality of its timber and 
resinous products. The wood on some light sandy soils is 
white, almost without resin, and of little duration; while 
on other soils, of a colder and more substantial nature, it 
is red, heavy, and of great durability. Places noted for 
producing timber of the latter quality are Rannoch, Strath¬ 
spey, and Braemar. The facility with which the wood of 
the Scotch fir is worked occasions its employment largely 
in joinery and house carpentry. In point of durability, if 
it is kept dry, it equals the oak, more especially if it has 
been of slow growth, and is resinous. 
19. The Common Juniper. (Juniperus communis, L.) 
An evergreen shrub, found on hillsides and in sandy 
plains, also cultivated for ornament. The wood is more 
or less aromatic, and very durable, but never found of 
sufficient size to be of much use. In France, where the 
Swedish juniper has been found to grow 50 feet in height, 
tables, cabinets, and other pieces of furniture have been 
made from its timber. 
The beauty of Scotland as a whole, and of Perthshire as part 
of it, is greatly due to the trees and shrubs that dot the land¬ 
scape. The lively tints of the larch in spring and summer, 
the bunches of coral fruit of the rowan in autumn, and the 
bright red berries of the holly and sombre green of the pine 
in the depth of winter, all add to the charm of the landscape. 
Trees, however, are not only ornamental, but are neces¬ 
sary for the maintenance of the nation’s health. To secure 
the best climatic conditions it is required that one-fifth of 
the total area of a country should be covered with forests. 
This is not so in these islands. With regard to the county 
of Perth, for instance, with an area of 1,600,000 acres, 
there are only 95,000 acres of woodlands. There is another 
urgent reason why tree-planting should be greatly extended, 
and that is that our timber-supply from abroad in a few 
years will be very much diminished, while nothing is being 
done to replace the natural forests of America, quickly 
disappearing before the lumber-man’s axe. There is the 
greater need, then, that the waste and otherwise unprofit¬ 
able lands in our own country should be planted. Perth¬ 
shire could afford to plant 200,000 additional acres ; while 
