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ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART III

“ The larch,” Sir Thomas Dick Lauder observes, “ is unquestionably by muchthe most enduring timber we have. It is remarkable, that, whilst the red wood,or heart wood, is not formed at all in the other resinous trees till they have livedfor a good many years, the larch, on the other hand, begins to make it soonafter it is planted; and, whilst you may fell a Scotch fir of 30 years old,and find no redwood in it, you can hardly cut down a young larch largeenough to be a walking-stick, without finding just such a proportion of redwood, compared to its diameter as a tree, as you will find in the largest larchin the forest compared to its diameter.” (Laud. Gilp.,i. p. 153.)

For Naval Purposes, Matthew observes, the larch, from its general lateraltoughness (particularly the root), and from its lightness, seems better adaptedfor the construction of shot-proof vessels, than any other timber.” It hasbeen used for ship-building in the Tay, he says, since 1810; and there were, in1830, several thousand tons of shipping constructed of it. “ The Atholefrigate, built of it about 1818; the Larch, a fine brig, built by the Duke ofAthole several years earlier; and many other vessels, built more recently;prove that larch is as valuable for naval purposes as the most sanguinehad anticipated. The first instance we have heard of British larch beingused in this manner was in a sloop repaired with it about 1808. The personto whom it had belonged, and who had sailed it himself, stated to us, imme-diately after its loss, that this sloop had been built of oak about 36 yearsbefore; that at 18 years old her upper timbers were so much decayed asto require renewal, which was done with larch; that 18 years after thisrepair, the sloop went to pieces on the remains of the pier of Methel, Fife-shire, and the top timbers and second foot-hooks of larch were washed ashoreas tough and sound as when first put into the vessel, not one spot of decayappearing. The owner of a larch brig, who had employed her for severalyears on tropical voyages, also assures us that the timber will wear well in anyclimate, and adds that he would prefer larch to any other kind of wood, espe-cially for small vessels; he also states that the deck of this brig, composed oflarch planks, stood the tropical heat well, and that it did not warp or shrink,as was apprehended.

“ Larch knees are possessed of such strength and durability, and are of suchadaptation by their figure and toughness, that, were a sufficient quantity inthe market, and their qualities generally known, we believe that none elsewould be used for vessels of any description of timber, even for our war navyof oak. The knees of vessels have a number of strong bolts, generally ofiron, passing through them to secure the beam-ends to the sides of the ship.Larch knees are the more suited for this, as they do not split in the driving ofthe bolts, and contain a resinous gum, which prevents tile oxidation of theiron.

“ In all places where larch has become known, it has completely supersededother timber for clinker-built boats, surpassing all others in strength, light-ness, and durability. For this purpose, young trees of about 9 in. in diameter,in root-cuts from 10 ft. to 20 ft. in length (for as you ascend the tree, thetimber deteriorates greatly), with a gentle bend at one end, such as the larchoften receives from the south-west wind, are the most suitable. The logshould be kept in the bark till used; and, in dry weather, the boards put uponthe boat’s side within two or three days from being sawn out, as no timberwe are acquainted with parts sooner with its moisture than larch; and theboards do not work or bend pleasantly when dry. When dried, the thinlarch board is at once strong, tough, durable, and extremely light.

“ For rural Purposes generally, larch is incomparably the best adapted tim-ber, especially for rails, fences, or out-door fabrics exposed to wind andweather. It is also getting into use for implements of husbandry, such asharrows, ploughs, and carts. We have seen a larch upright paling, the timberof which, with the exception of the large charred posts, had only been eightyears in growing, standing a good fence, sixteen years old, decked out bymoss and lichen in all the hoary garniture of time.