2162

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART III.

noble specimen at Dunmore, which is con- 2049

sidered to be the most picturesque tree inthe Lowlands of Scotland , and of which fig.

2051. is a portrait after Strutt, to a scaleof 24 ft. to 1 in. The height of this tree was,in 1836,67 ft.; and the diameter of the trunk,at 1 ft. from the ground, 3 ft. 9 in.; and itwas estimated to contain nearly 300 ft. oftimber. Among the finest specimens in theHighlands of Scotland are those in Strath-spey, of a group of which fig. 2052., to ascale of 24 ft. to 1 in., is a portrait by W. A.

Nesfield, Esq. The tallest of these trees is75 ft. high.

The quality of the timber of the Scotchpine, according to some, is altogether depen-dent on soil, climate, and slowness of growth;but, according to others, it depends jointlyon these circumstances, and on the kind ofvariety cultivated; and this is our opinion.

It is acknowledged, that the timber of theScotch pine, grown on rocky surfaces, orwhere the soil is dry, sandy, or hazelly, is,in general, more resinous, and redder in co-lour, than that of such as is grown on soilsof a clayey nature, boggy, or on chalk : butthis is not always the case; for an instanceis given, in Lawson’s Manual, of “ a planta-tion, recently cut down, which stood on thenorth side of the Perth and Dundee road,nearly 10 miles from the former, the seed ofwhich was, 70 or 80 years since, receivedfrom the Forest of Mar ; and the timber, al-though grown on a poor, damp, tenaciousclay, besides attaining to a great size, wasfound equal in quality to that for which theabove natural forest is esteemed.” ( Ag.Man.p. 320., note.) Scotch “ pine timber,” SirT. D. Lauder observes, “ is best in the j—colder situations. In the warmer regions, [ —

it contains a great deal of white, or sap, ....

wood. At what time the sap wood is transformed into durable, or red,wood, has not yet been determined by vegetable physiologists; and, thoughmost writers believe that the ligneous matter is deposited in the secondyear, we are disposed to doubt the fact. More than a dozen layers of sapwood may be counted on some trees; and, what is a very interesting ob-servation, where trees have been much exposed to the mid-day sun, the wholesouthern half of the tree is sometimes found to be little better than sap wood,whilst the northern half may contain only a layer or two of it at the cir-cumference.” ( Laud. Gilp., i. p. 174.)

The durability of the red timber of the Scotch pine was supposed, by the cele-brated engineer, Brindley, to be as great as that of the oak; and Dr. Smith, in hisEssay on the Production of Timber, in the Transactions of the Highland SocKtyof Scotland , vol. i. p. 165., says that he has seen some Scotch pine grown in theNorth Highlands, which, when taken down after it had been 300 years in theroof of an old castle, was as fresh and full of resin as newly imported tinibeifrom Memel; and that part of it was actually wrought up into new furniture.

Geography. P. sylvestris and its varieties are indigenous throughout thegreater part of Europe , from the Mediterranean on the south, to 70° N. l at '

Circum.

ea. Branch 2//•;

b ft 6 in

49 ft 3 tn

Qft 6 in

;40 ft Q in .

7 ft m i

25 ft 6 in

IQ ft 9 in