50 THE FLORIST. 



the balance and proportion of parts which good specimens possess. 

 This was the case with the present tree; and had not Mr, Frost 

 more than once attended to this, by removing the rival leader, the 

 tree would have been forked from near the base ; as it is, it presents 

 a perfectly straight clean trunk 70 feet in height, with a circum- 

 ference of trunk, at 3 feet from the ground, of 7 feet 2 inches, and 9 

 feet close to the ground, the diameter of the branches being 58 feet. 



The above statistics inform us that the rate of growth must have 

 been more than 2 feet 6 inches yearly ; but this is considerably ex- 

 ceeded by other plants, which average 3 feet and upwards in more 

 favoured localities, which Ave consider equal to the growth of the 

 Spruce or Silver Fir, two of the fastest growing Conifers we have. 



Now that the plant is comparatively plentiful, and its hardiness 

 and ornamental character have become established, we have no hesi- 

 tation in recommending its introduction to either garden, park, or 

 forest scenery ; for a tree presenting so many favourable points to 

 the eye of the landscape gardener and planter should be planted on 

 a large scale, especially as it is neither particular as to soil or situa- 

 tion, provided stagnant water be kept i'rom its roots ; and it appears 

 to thrive as well in the north of Scotland as it does in the south of 

 Ireland or England. 



II. ABIES DOUGLASI, VAR. TAXIFOLIA THE YEW-LEAVED DOUGLAS FIR. 



This is a variety of Abies Douglasi, with longer leaves, of a 

 deeper green colour. Loudon, on the authority of Mr. McNab, 

 states the arrangements and growth of the branches in this variety 

 to be more upright than the species : this we have not ourselves ob- 

 served; and we consider the only difference to consist in the longer 

 and darker coloui'ed leaves of the variety as compared with the com- 

 mon Douglas Fir. 



ni. ABIES BRACTEATA LONG-BRACTED SILVER FIR. 



This fine tree has only been recently introduced by the Messrs. 

 Veitch, whose collector, Mr. W. Lobb, found it in California. It had 

 previously been discovered by Dr. Coulter and Douglas, neither of 

 whom, nor Hartweg, succeeded in sending it to this country ; and it 

 remained to reward the perseverance of Mr. Lobb, who has had the 

 honour of being the first to introduce this fine tree to British gar- 

 dens, the Messrs. Veitch having recently advertised young plants 

 for sale from seeds forwarded to them by Mr. Lobb from Cali- 

 fornia. 



This is described as a slender tree of great beauty, growing to 

 the height of 120 feet; with a perfectly straight trunk, which, when 

 the tree stands singly, is covered with numerous branches, the lower 

 ones decumbent, and reaching the ground ; while the upper ones are 

 very numerous, short, and thickly set, forming a long tapered pyra- 

 mid, or spire, giving the tree a peculiar appearance not seen in any 

 other of the Pinus tribe. The above is extracted from Mr. Lobb's 

 description of the tree, first published in the Gardener's Chronicle, 

 who further adds: " The cones, too, are quite as singular as the 



