THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



751 



concerned with planting seldom take the 

 trouble to see these trees in their native 

 beauty on their native mountains, and 

 assuming that the nursery or infant state 

 of the tree is the natural form, make 

 ceaseless efforts to keep the trees always 

 in this form, whereas the nature of the 

 Pine is generally to sheditslowerbranches, 

 and hence we get that wonderful dignity 

 of the Pine as seen on the mountains, 

 both in the new and old worlds, lovely 

 pillars crowding all over the northern 

 mountains. I have seen Pines condemned 

 because they began to assume this habit 

 of shedding their lower branches and 

 taking their true character. Like other 

 important families of trees, these have 

 numerous garden and other varieties 

 which are generally best left out if we 

 seek to get the full expression of the 

 natural beauty of the trees ; but, as usual, 

 the practice of professional planters 

 generally is rather against us. Ugly, 

 contracted, and monstrous forms are 

 always in catalogues, which should be let 

 alone there. VVhile such varieties are 

 often worthless, natural varieties, especi- 

 ally of kinds inhabiting vast regions of 

 the earth, like the Scotch Pine in northern 

 Europe, and the Western Yellow Pine in 

 America, may be important in giving us 

 hardier varieties, or those of special use, 

 like the Russian form of the Scotch Fir. 

 Synonyms are numerous, unfortunately, 

 leading to confusion in the nomenclature, 

 but among Pines, if anywhere, what is not 

 worth knowing is not worth growing, and 

 all the great Pines are so distinct in form 

 that those who care about them will soon 

 know them by heart, and the showy 

 labelling method of the " pinetum " is not 

 necessary in any good way of plant- 

 ing. 



It is this great familyof trees which has 

 given the name for the " pinetum" which 

 we see in many country places, and it is 

 not by any means the best way of growing 

 the trees. The isolation of specimens in 

 the turf allows the grass in dry seasons to 

 take away all the moisture from the tree, 

 while the effect of this dotting about of 

 trees is very far from artistic. The true 

 pinetum is a wood of Pines, the trees all 

 chosen for their perfect hardiness in any 

 given district, sheltering each other, pro- 

 moting the true growth of the Pine by 

 their close planting, especially in early 

 life, shading the ground and keeping the 

 moisture in it. In such a pinetum the 

 trees should be planted in groups and 

 colonies, not necessarily rigidly separated 

 by hard-and-fast lines, but sometimes 

 those of like regions running together, as 



the European cone-bearing trees do in 

 the mountains of Central Europe. 



The advantage of grouping and massing 

 the pines in a natural way is that they 

 not only protect themselves from the sun, 

 but the leaves and dead branches of the 

 trees help to nourish the ground. The 

 roots are very near the surface, and they 

 get a source of nourishment which fails 

 them in the ordinary pinetum. In start- 

 ing woods of Pines I have sown Furze- 

 seed beneath (the little Furze and the 

 common kind), which come \ery freely 

 whether the ground be fallow at planting 

 or otherwise. These give excellent 

 covert, and, in rough districts, I think, 

 prevent rabbits and hares paying too 

 much attention to the little trees. There 

 may be a drawback or two, but on the 

 whole I think there is a gain, because the 

 vigorous young trees soon get their heads 

 above the Furze, which is limited in 

 stature, and eventually destroy it as they 

 do the Grasses. 



In numerous places where there is not 

 room enough to make a true pinetum, or 

 Pine-wood even, then we should get a 

 better effect in grouping the Pines than 

 by scattering them about as they are often 

 seen even in villa gardens, where there is 

 little room. But in many places in every 

 county there is ample room for such 

 beautiful evergreen woods as these 

 precious trees give us, the true and 

 natural way of growing the trees being 

 carried out. 



In making the ordinary pinetum the 

 richest ground is often taken, and large 

 holes are made and filled with rich soil, 

 whereas I think the better way would be 

 to choose true Pine soil, if we have it — 

 that is, rocky or poor ground of little use for 

 anything else, and, by rightly choosing and 

 planting the trees, doing away with the 

 need of the costly and special preparation 

 of the regulation pinetum. In this the 

 rich soil and preparation give a rapid 

 growth at first, but no means of testing 

 the value of any Pine in the natural soil 

 of the place. The rapid growth is often 

 followed by weakness of wood, and often 

 by too early destruction from storms, 

 while the timber of such trees is always 

 inferior to that grown in poor or rocky 

 ground. We have the clearest evidence, 

 on the mountains of Europe, California, 

 Scotland, and elsewhere, that very fine 

 Pines may be, and are, grown naturally 

 on very poor rocky soils, and we should 

 take this lesson and make our Pine-wood 

 or pinetum in such a soil, or one as near 

 as we can approach to it. 



In some places, on the other hand, we 



