February  4,  19C4, 
JGURISAL  CF  HOB.TICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDFjNER. 
105 
The  Japanese  Larch. 
*  Larix  leptolepis  (Gord). — Quite  hardy  ;  in  fact,  less  susceptible  to 
spring  frosts  than  L.  curopsea.  Apparently  also  less  liable  to  canker. 
Frequently  planted  during  the  past  few  years,  but  trees  over  ten  years 
of  age  are  rare.  The  oldest  specimen  appears  to  bo  at  Tortworth, 
in  the  West  of  England,  which  is  now  about  forty-one  years  old,  4I2  ft. 
high,  and  3  ft.  32-  in.  in  girth,  at  feet  from  tlie  ground.  Mr.  Miehie 
has  been  good  enough  to  furnish  detail  measurements  of  two  speci¬ 
mens  planted  at  Balmoral  in  the  spring  of  1889 : — 
No.  ]. — Height  20  ft.  Tin.; 
No.  2.  — Height  20  ft.  ; 
diameter  at  4i  ft.. 
diameter  at  4^  ft., 
Y  ear. 
1  ft.  lOJ  in. 
1  ft.  7  in. 
Growth  iu height  (inches). 
Growth  iu  height  (inches). 
1902 
18 
15 
1901 
16 
18 
1900 
It 
9 
1S99 
19 
17 
1898 
1897 
j-  Accident 
18 
19 
1896 
23 
21 
1895 
18 
n 
1894 
19 
24 
18:3 
18 
20 
sonie  of  our  friends  in  the  trade  we  find  that  Ave  are  not  alone  in 
this  experience.” 
Mr.  .John  Simpson,  author  of  “  Tlie  Ncav  Forestry,”  Avho  Avas  one 
of  the  earliest  to  draAV  attention  to  the  merits  of  this  species  of 
Jjareh,  includes  the  folloAving  in  his  book: — “This  Larch,  Avhich  covers 
mountain  tracts  in  .Japan,  has  hitherto  been  described  as  a  small 
tree  betAveen  30  and  40  ft.  high  and  next  to  Avorthless  as  a  timber 
tree.  It  has^iOAvever,  been  described  to  us,  by  those  Avho  have  seen 
forests  of  the  tree,  as  groAving  to  a  height  of  60  or  70  ft.,  and  some 
examples  planted  about  fourteen  years  ago  at  Blair  Drummond  arc 
noAV  betAveen  25  and  30  ft.  in  height,  perfectly  healthy,  and  shoAving 
no  signs  of  disease  though  grOAving  near  diseased  plantations  of 
the  common  Jjai’ch.  The  i-ate  of  groAvth  of  these  trees,  and  of  numbers 
of  younger  trees  groAving  at  Wortley  and  elscAvhere,  indicate  a  tall  tree 
of  good  bulk,  ultimately,  as  the  rate  of  groAvth  in  youth,  of  all  the 
Coniferm,  is  ahvays  in  proportion  to  the  ultimate  height  of  the 
species.  In  most  respects  the  .Japanese  Larch  strongly  resembles  the 
European  species,  is  quite  as  hai’dy,  and  a  more  beautiful  tree.  We 
dreAv  attention  to  it  in  the  ‘  h'ield  ’  and  elseAvhere  some  years  ago.” 
Cabbages  Taxed  It^d.  Each! — An  American  contemporary 
says: — ‘‘Cabbages  are  being  imported  from  Europe.  There  is  a 
duty  of  3  cents,  a  head.”  Yet  there  are  rank  “  Free  Traders”  in 
England  hei'e  !  Ironical ! 
The  foregoing  table  and 
comment  are  from  the  re¬ 
cently  published  quarterly 
“  .Journal  of  the  Board  of 
Agriculture.”  We  noAv  give 
part  of  the  contents  of  a 
letter  from  Messrs.  Dickson 
and  Co.,  1,  Waterloo  Place, 
Edinburgh  (to  Avhom  Ave 
are  indebted  for  the  use 
of  the  illustration),  Avho 
Avrite  as  follows  in  ansAver 
to  a  request  from  us:  — 
“  The  Japanese  Inarch,  in 
our  opinion,  has  many 
advantages  over  the 
European  species.  Some 
of  them  are  as  follows  : — 
It  is  practically  disease 
proof.  W e,  ourselves,  have 
never  yet  seen  a  plant  of 
it  affected  by  disease, 
although  we  have  been 
Avatching  it  closely  for  the 
past  twelve  years.  It  is  a 
much  more  rapid  groAver, 
andaltogether  ahandsomer 
tree.  When  it  loses  its 
leader  it  finds  a  neAV  one 
much  more  readily.  The 
timber  is  equally  as  good, 
if  not  better,  than  that  of 
the  European.  We  have 
this  season  submitted  cuts 
from  a  sixty-five-year-old 
tree  to  timber  experts  here, 
and  they  all  agree  in  say¬ 
ing  that  they  never  looked 
at  better  Larch  timber. 
Some  people  say  that  the 
plant  is  not  so  hardy  as 
Larix  europaea.  Well,  last 
spring  Avas  a  good  test  of 
this.  We  may  say  that 
millions  of  tAVO-year-old 
seedlings,  and  one-year 
Larch  plants  Avere  de¬ 
stroyed  by  spring  frosts 
all  over  the  country  (avc, 
ourselves,  suffered  con¬ 
siderably)  ;  but  AAm  noticed 
particularly  in  tAVO  breaks, 
containing  about  200,000 
trees  each  one  year,  that 
the  .Japanese  suffered  only 
very  slightly,  Avhile  the 
European  Avas  rendei-ed 
almost  entirely  useless. 
On  comparing  notes  Avith 
*  From  “  Journal  of  the 
Boar.i  of  Agriculture,”  Decem¬ 
ber,  1903. 
Japanese  EuBorEAN. 
The  Japanese  and  European  Larche.s 
