512 PICE A PECTIN ATA. [Dec. 



PICE A PECTIN AT A. 



(silver fir.) 



GLEANIISrGS from a paper contributed to the Transactions of 

 the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, 1885, 

 by Mr. Eobert Hutchison of Carlowrie : — 



" The date of the introduction of the silver fir, now so familiar a 

 denizen of the "woodlands and plantations in almost every district of 

 Scotland, is not precisely known. It cannot, however, be grouped 

 amongst the pines now so commonly called ' the newer coniferse,' 

 which date their introduction not prior to 1830, for we are informed 

 by Evelyn that two Spanish or silver firs were in his day growing 

 in Harefield Park, Middlesex, which were planted there in 1603. 

 Other early writers on trees mention silver firs as to be found in 

 different localities about the same period, so that we may at all 

 events quite safely assert that the tree was well known in this 

 country in the seventeenth century, if not then actually grown 

 extensively in plantations as a timber tree for profit. 



" It appears to have early attracted favourable notice, and the 

 desire for its more general diffusion throughout the country is 

 evidenced by the fact that in 1797, the Society of Arts awarded 

 their gold medal to Henry Vernon, Esq. of Hilton Park, Wolver- 

 hampton, for having planted 6000 plants of the silver fir. Compared 

 with this desire for its more extended propagation throughout the 

 country at that period, it is somewhat singular to find this tree in 

 comparatively little favour with planters at the present day. Not 

 that it has been supplanted in the estimation of arborists by any of 

 the new-fangled introductions of recent times, many of which closely 

 resemble it in habit and appearance, indeed so closely, that when 

 they have attained the dimensions of many of our old examples of 

 silver fir throughout the country, it will be very difficult by mere 

 sight to distinguish between them ; but probably, owing to its slow 

 progress in growth during the first twenty years or thereby of its 

 existence, the silver fir has never been so popularly and generally 

 planted in Scotland as it might have been. This is, however, a very 

 great mistake, for when once fairly established in suitable soil and 

 locality, no other coniferous tree will make an equal amount of 

 wood of mature and valuable description in the same time. In this 

 respect Scots fir wood or spruce, or even larch of about thirty to 

 forty years' growth, cannot in any degree be compared in point of 

 quality and firmness of grain with the wood of silver fir of the same 

 age. 



