2396

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART III.

larch for the building of 2 brigs at Perth ; the one, the brig Larch, built by Mr.Brown, of 171 tons register; and another, of 240 tons, built by Mr. Ainslie.

“ The Value of Larch Wood , exclusive of the Value of the Pasture under it, maybe estimated in this manner : — Suppose the plantations are thinned out by 30years to what they are to stand for ship timber, that is, to 400 trees per Scotchacre; suppose, after that period, the whole were cut down at the followingrespective ages, the value of the whole per acre, at the different periods, wouldbe as follows: —

£ s. d.

400 Trees at 80 years old, at 2| cubic feet each tree, = 100(7 cubic feet, or

20 loads, at Is. 6d. per foot profit, = per acre - - - 75 0 0

400 Trees at 43J years old, at 15 cubic feet each tree, = 6000 cubic feet, or 120

loads, at Is. 0d. per foot profit, — per acre - 450 0 0

400 Trees at 59 years old, at 40 cubic feet each tree, = 16,000 cubic feet, or

320 loads, at 2s. 6 d. per foot profit, = per acre - 2000 0 0

400 Trees at 72 years old, at 60 cubic feet each tree, = 24,000 cubic feet, or

480 loads, at 2s. 6d. per foot profit, = per acre - 3000 0 0

“ The average of these prices would be 1381/. 5s. per acre; so that 1000/.per acre is not too high a calculation of the value of the duke’s larch planta-tions.

“ The comparatively superior Value of Larch to Oak per Acre has already beenalluded to, when the comparative quantities of timber per acre were made out,by a statement in favour of the larch. In comparison to Scotch pine, as acomparison of one kind of fir with another, the difference is still more striking.Fifty larch and 50 Scotch pine trees were cut out of the same plantation.The average contents of the fir were 8 cubic feet, at Is. 3 d. per foot, or 10s.per tree. The larch averaged 30 cubic feet each, and fetched 2s. (id. per foot,or 31. 15s. per tree. So that the larch was superior in contents 3J times, andin value more than 7 times, to the Scotch pine.

“ The superior Value of the common Larch, when compared with the RussianLarch. The duke, having heard of the valuable properties of the Russian larch,with some difficulty procured the seed of it front Archangel, reared the plants,and planted them out, in number about 200. They shot out about 8 days earlierthan the common larch, but they did not attain to one third of its size in thesame time; and, both in their appearance as trees, and their value as timber,they were found much inferior to the common larch.

“ The Uses to which the Larch Tree may he applied are various andimportant. In one instance, the duke applied larches successfully as nursesto spruce firs, which were going back. The requisite shelter recovered thehealth of these valuable trees. The great thinnings of larch plantations,which take place from 20 to 30 years of their age, supply useful materialsfor various purposes. Posts and rails for fencing may be made either outof the tops or the trunks of young trees. While fir posts and rails lastonly about 5 years, and are wormeaten after that period, the larch postsstand for 20 years, and never get wormeaten. But the trunks of youngtrees are preferable for this purpose to the tops, as they have less sap wood.In 1807, the duke fenced a nursery ground with young larch trees cut up themiddle, made into a railing 7 ft. high. In 3 years after, the sawn side assumeda leaden-grey colour, and in 1817 the whole railing was quite sound. Therailing round the lawn at Dunkeld, made out of the tops of trees, was takendown in 1818, after it had stood for 10 years. Six inches only of the postswere decayed under ground, which being cut off, the rail was nailed up again.A rustic bridge was thrown over a high road and a ravine, as an easy accessto the nursery ground, which remained, in 1817, quite sound.

Tanning. “ About the year 1800, the tanning properties of larch bark weretried by a tanner at Perth, by the duke’s desire. It succeeded tolerably well;but the tanner complained that the bark had not half the strength of oak bark.The bark of old trees cut at Blair, the duke found quite unsaleable. Theduke was not at all sanguine about the bark of the larch affording a valuabletan ; but, in fact, though more encouraging markets had been found for it, itis questionable whether the loss arising from the deterioration in the quality