178 



IRISH (;.\K I) i:\i.\r, 



DKll-MHKR 



wliicli this nolMc Iroo uproars its t^lit lorini^ 

 head is tastotully hcilcckod with h\ -piiuliKls, 

 such as real IriLVclos aiul dolls' lunisos, which 

 tlio i,'-roanintf braiKhos rofiiso to cany. Iriily, 

 such a tree deserves to be popular, promisinj^. 

 as it does, xasi possibilities o\ p[o\'\{ to all 

 concerned with it, except, ;is 1 have since had 

 reason to re.ilisi.'. to those who are piiniaiily 

 responsible lor its cultivation. 



Since the il;i\s when 1 was lorciblv scoureil 

 and dressv.'(.l in my new sailor suit [o i:;o to 

 Christmas tiees, 1 ha\e learned a j^ood deal 

 about trees in j^eneral, and something; oi this 

 particular one. 1 ha\e learnei.1 with |iain ;iui.l 

 •^•■rier that it dvKvs not j^row in that bi^Mulilul 

 tub, but is dishonestly stuck into it. 1 \r.i\\: 

 learned that before its translation to that tub it 

 is, as a rule. ;i common spruce — sometimes a 

 silver hr— and the latter are rather the better 

 of the two, as their branches are more rei^iilar 

 and more rii,^id. 



There are, by the way, quite a number of 

 people who are long past sailor suits, and yet 

 are a little uncertain about the silver fir and the 

 spruce, or which is which, or what the require- 

 ments and habits of either are. These two 

 trees really belong- to two quite distinct families, 

 and each has a number of relations, other 

 silver firs and spruces, all over the temperate 

 world. Both are indigenous to Europe, but 

 not to the British Isles, and it is because this 

 silver fir and this spruce were brought here and 

 planted, perhaps a hundred years before any 

 of their relatives, that they have become to us 

 the " common " spruce (sometimes called the 

 "Norway" spruce) and the "silver fir." The 

 spruces all belong to the family " Picea," and 

 one common spruce, " Picea Excelcis," is found 

 all over North Europe. The silver firs are 

 " Abies " and "Abies Pectinata," — that's our 

 tree has its home in Southern Europe and over 

 into Turkey in Asia. There are silver fir forests 

 close to the site of ancient Troy, and Vergil 

 tells us how the Greeks built the great wooden 

 horse " the size of a mountain," " and inter- 

 wove its ribs with planks of fir," with which 

 they overcame by guile the long enduring 

 Trojans. The silver firs are much stiffer and 

 more rigidly regular in their foliage than the 

 spruces. The leaves are in a regular comb 

 at either side of the twig, and the cones are 

 borne upright, and are smoother and much 

 longer than the spruce cones. In habit and 



r(.quirenKiits thcs aw iiuitc dilVertiil, though 

 too ottcii ihcy are trciled alike. The spruce 

 must ha\e both shelter ant-l moisture to really 

 thii\e, and there is no more miserable object 

 th,ni a spruce planted on .m exposed bank. 

 .SiUoi fu-, however, does not nTnul how dry it is, 

 .ind it will fight its way up in any wind that 

 c\er blew, pio\ iiled it is i\ot a sea wind. Silver 

 fn- is \(.'ry liabk- to get cut back by spring frosts 

 while young, ;uul while young it is slow o\' 

 growth, but once past ten or twelve years it 

 grows \ery last antl develops into one o\' the 

 grandest trees ue possess. I measured one 

 the otlur d;i\ , se\enteen leet girth and over on^ 

 lumdreLl tect in height. How would that do 

 for .1 Christmas tree, mv \oimg friends ? 



A Book oil Orchids. 



"Okchids for KviM \ Oiu-, by C ii.is. 11. Ciirli^, 

 i'.R.H.S. (Dent & Sons, square crown 4lo, £i is. net). 

 .Mr. Curtis has in this book made an altoj^i'lhor praise- 

 worthy effort to populaiise orchid cultivation and to 

 iiKluce more amateurs to take an interest in these noble 

 flowers. The book is especially arranjj^ed as a gfuide 

 to those about to take up the cultivation of these plants, 

 and for this purpose the orchids are jjrouped accordinjf 

 to their value for general cultivation, the g-enera being 

 given iu alphabetical order. The best methods of cul- 

 ture are described, and the particular needs of any 

 fastidious species are clearly indicated. The fad that 

 the aullior was formerly keeper of the orchid collection 

 at Kew is sufficient warrant of the accuracy of his cul- 

 tural directions. But it is in the extreme beauty of the 

 illustrations that the most striking feature of the book 

 lies. There are no less than 52 full page illustra- 

 tions in colour, reproduced from colour photographs 

 taken by Mr. T. K. Waltham, and each one is remark- 

 ably life-like and beautiful. They form a series of flower 

 pictures sucli as I ha\e seldom seen equalled. No less 

 excellent in their way are the half-tone illustrations, 

 from photographs by Mr. .V. J. Campbell, of which 

 there are over 40 in the book. Excepting a visit to a 

 good collection of orchids in flower, nothing would be 

 more calculated to induce one lo take up orchid culture 

 than these illustrations. The print and general get-up 

 of the book are excellent, and it should form a most 

 acceptable gift for the approaching Christmas season. 



f^^ fi^* ^^ 



What ? 



.\ot know our garden ? The on!)- spot 

 In tlie whole wide world where there is pleasure, 

 And leisure, 

 A treasure. 

 That a man might seek with the whole of his mind 

 And never find 

 Though he hunted far 

 From the golden bar 

 Of the sunset back to the morning star. 



— Lehmann. 



