PLANTING IN SCOTLAND. 25 



on the mountaius of Northern California, and produces timber of 

 an excellent quality. I spent three week.s in a forest composed 

 of this tree, and day by day could not cease to admire it." 

 Another eminent arboriculturist, Jeffrey, who found it on the 

 Shasta Mountains, at an altitude of from 6000 to 8000 feet above 

 sea-level, thus eloquently describes the impression it made upon 

 him: — " Its ivy-coloured, dark shining green leaves, with hori- 

 zontal outspreading branches, each tier forming complete platforms 

 round the tree, with a surface almost as level as Utrecht velvet, 

 never fails to put the stranger into a state of amazement to con- 

 template such a wonderful arrangement of beauty, elegance, and 

 perfection." 



Unfortunately, the sad fate which found for its discoverer a 

 lonely grave far from his native Scotland, in one of the islands 

 of the distant Pacific, so soon after the despatch of this first batch 

 of seeds of the P. nohilis, prevented its increase in anything 

 like quantity for a time in this country ; for while no further 

 shipments could be obtained from the same quarter, it was 

 some time before the merits of the seedlings of the first importation 

 were suliiciently apparent to lead to an anxious and general desire 

 for the extended introduction and wider propagation of the P. 

 nohilis in Britain. 



The high prices consequently charged at first for young plants 

 of the P. nobilis in this country after its introduction, naturally 

 deterred many planters from adopting it as extensively as they 

 would otherwise have done, considering the encomiums with 

 which its advent had been heralded ; but these prohibitory prices 

 also led to numerous ingenious devices being adopted — by grafting 

 and striking from cuttings — for the propagation of the species ; 

 and althougli in cases of scarce and rare species, sucli means of 

 increasing their numbers may be excusable, they are hardly to be 

 commended in practice for the raising of trees intended for timber- 

 producing purposes ; — indeed, for extensive planting, so artificial 

 a mode of propagation could never come into general use ; — and 

 many of the larger specimens throughout this country at the 

 present day, when compared with younger plants of seedling- 

 growth, will prove, by their relative inferiority that the P. nohilis 

 is no exception to the rule that the natural origin from the cone 

 or seed is the only legitimate means for raising really reliable 

 forest timber-trees for prospective sturdiness of habit, and future 

 value and development. Some cultivators have certainly been 

 very successful in rearing many varieties of the coniferous family 

 from cuttings and grafts, and also by budding them upon stocks 

 of other species of closely allied affinity ; but, upon the whole, 

 these modes of propagation are to be avoided, and preference 

 given to the natural germination from the seed, for, unless very 

 dexterously and scientifically performed, the artificially i)ropagated 



