In the Northern states, and Canada, long stretches of cold marsh land are
covered with solid growths of tamarack, our American larch tree. In
summer the branches are covered with long, drooping twigs, each set with
many blunt side spurs, from which a tuft of soft, needle-like leaves
forms a green rosette or pompom. The end twigs have needle leaves
scattered their whole length, after the fashion of the spruces. Purplish
cone flowers, and yellow staminate cones appear in spring, and in autumn
among the leaves that are turning yellow a crop of cones is ripening.
They stand erect and solitary on the twigs between the rosettes of
leaves.
In winter the long, flexible twigs are bare except for these cones. The
little knobs along the twigs are the stubs which bore leaves. In the
spring new leaves come out, pale lettuce green, feathery, transforming
the tree top into a thing of beauty.
This larch tree of ours is more sparsely branched than the larch of
Europe. It looks ragged and unhappy when planted on our lawns. It is at
its best in the cold North, where it grows in dense crowds, and the tall
trunks are stripped free from limbs well towards the tops. These straight
shafts are cut for telegraph poles, railroad ties, and posts. The heavy,
resinous wood lasts a long time in the ground.
The larches planted for shade and ornament are of the European species,
which thrives in any soil. It has a denser head of branches, and much
more luxuriant crown of foliage than our native species. It is a
beautiful feathery pyramid of green, distinctly different from other
trees. In Europe large forests are grown on the mountain sides, and from
these the tallest masts for vessels are obtained. The heavy, resinous
wood does not easily take fire as do the pitch pines. The old wooden
battle ships were faced with larch wood because of this, and because
larch wood is so durable in contact with water. Indeed it has the
reputation of outlasting oak, and the wood of all other conifers.
In the woods of the far Northwest, and inland to Montana, the Western
larch is one of the mighty forest trees. Six feet in diameter, and 200
feet in height are not uncommon dimensions among these giant larches.
These trees are of slow growth, and they stand with their roots in water
or in wet soil, though on the mountain side. This is an important lumber
tree with wood that has all the good qualities of its family. In Europe
the tree is planted for forests, and as an ornamental tree. We cannot
grow it in the Eastern United States. It is worth a journey across the
continent to see it growing, one of the most magnificent trees in the
world.