CHAP. CXIU.
CONl'PERiE. Za'rIX.
2393
produce a greater effect on the sunny side of mountains than on the opposite.The tallest larches do not always contain the greatest quantity of timber, as isinstanced in the case of two trees which were felled on the 1st of June, 1829,aged 82 years. The one, which was only 97 ft. in length, yielded 138 cubicfeet; while the other, which was 104 ft. in length, only gave 81 cubic feet.
“ One of the greatest Advantages of planting Larch is derived from itspeculiar property of thriving in very elevated situations. Immense extentsof mountain ranges may thus be applied to useful purposes, which other-wise would have been quite unavailable. The Scotch pine thrives at anelevation below 900 ft.; but the larch ascends to 1600 ft. above the sea,and it may ascend higher. This is an important fact, in a national pointof view. Much of the mountain land of Great Britain, which is at pre-sent worthless, may grow timber to supply her navy and merchant ship-ping, without at all interfering with the land which produces her cereal crops,or even her fine pasture land in a lower situation. But here the duke antici-pates an objection which might be started by some, and that is, whether thelarch will certainly become useful timber at these elevations. ‘ An argument,’says he, ‘ may, indeed, arise, whether, all the upper part of the mountain beingrugged, trees can grow in many parts to stand for timber, at 400 per acre.Reasoning from the experience of 43 years, which proves trees fully to thatextent per acre to contain 10 or 15 cubic feet or more of wood already toexist, I am clearly of opinion that 400 trees may grow, within 70 years, toaverage one load of wood or more, at a height of from 1200 to 1600 ft. abovethe sea ; and the researches which the larch makes with its roots among thecrevices of the rocks and the shivered fragments are such, and the ground sofound being virgin soil, that, along with the rains and mists imbibed by thetops, and invigorating the trunk, I am quite convinced they will have the eflectto produce a load of timber, or more, within the period mentioned. Some ofthe trees, of the age of 57 years, cut in 1816, among rocks fully as rugged asthose described, exceeded 60, and some 70, cubic feet of wood; and the 223cut from similar situations averaged, at 57 years of age, 40 cubic feet oftimber, laid down at Woolwich dockyard in 1817.’
“ Mountain Planting may be very well illustrated by the following diagram;in which the space occupied by the larch is seen to exceed greatly in heightthe site of every other species of useful tree. It also occupies, in commonwith the other trees, the ground at the lowest level; so that its range ofgrowth is extensive.
__
1600
_
l/MK)
_
1400
Larch &
_
1300
Spruce.
_
15200
_
1100
Heath
_
1000
Thick
_
900
and short.
_
800
Scotch Pine.
—
700
Swampy.
_
600
_
5(X>
Broom, Furze,
_
400
Juniper, and
—
300
Long Heath.
Deciduous Trees.
_
200
—
100
—
“ These elevated regions are far above the range of the vegetation of theScotch pine. This is a dull heavy-looking tree in large plantations : it can-not withstand a strong wind ; and it decays, in Britain, after it has attainedan age of from 70 to 80 years. The larch is quite the opposite in all theserespects ; and it will supply ship-timber at a great height above the region ofoak. Besides the almost immeasurable extent of ground thus obtained, bymeans of the larch, for the growth of ship-timber, it is a more profitable treein that respect than the oak. An English acre of larch, at 12 ft. apart, willgive 302 trees per acre.