PINACEiE 191 



variety of soils and are found flourishing in light and heavy 

 loams, peat, and in almost pure sand, provided it is moist. 

 Like other conifers, they require pure atmospheric conditions, 

 but are less exacting in this respect than the firs and spruces. 

 Moist atmospheric and soil conditions are essential to success. 

 Propagation of the species should be by seeds which may be sown 

 in spring in frames, in beds or boxes, or the hardier kinds may 

 be sown in well-prepared outdoor beds with a very shallow soil 

 covering. The varieties are increased by cuttings or by grafting 

 upon stocks of their respective types. Cuttings are made of 

 short shoots during July and August and are firmly inserted in 

 sandy soil in a close cold or warm frame. If planted in a cold 

 frame they must remain undisturbed until the following spring. 

 Those placed in a warm frame are removed to a cooler place 

 when rooted. Grafting is practised indoors from February to 

 mid-April, the stocks having previously been established in 

 pots. The stocks should be about the thickness of a lead pencil 

 and the method of union known as side-grafting used. Plants, 

 whether raised from cuttings or grafts, will probably require 

 occasional pruning to correct too rapid lateral development. 

 Permanent planting should take place when the plants do not 

 exceed 3 ft. in. height, although it is possible to successfully 

 transplant much larger specimens of the ChamcBcyj^aris group, 

 provided they have been carefully prepared by biennial trans- 

 planting while in the nursery. The Eu-Cupressus group are, 

 however, difficult to re-establish, and it is usual to place C. 

 inacrocarpa in permanent places when 12-18 in. high or to keep 

 young plants in pots until they can be utilized. Several species, 

 including C. macrocarpa and C. Lawsoniana, can be used with 

 effect for hedges, but they should be kept in shape and within 

 bounds by the use of a knife or secateurs, as shears give a dis- 

 figuring effect. Pruning may be carried out during summer. 



The species are divided into two sections, characterized as 

 follows : — 



Section I. Eu-Cupressus. 



Leaves fringed with a narrow transparent border,^ either 

 uniform in four ranks or with boat-shaped lateral pairs and 

 flattened facial pairs. Branchlet systems either flattened or 

 arising at varying angles. Cones large, usually I in. or more, in 

 diameter, ripening in the second year. Seeds usually 6 to 20 

 on each scale. Cotyledons 2 to 5. C. torulosa, C. funebris,^ 

 C. lusitanica, C. cashmeriana, C. Duclouxiana, C. Macnahiana, 



' This can only be seen with a lens of considerable magnifying power. 

 2 C. funebris, with its small cones and few seeds to each scale, forms a connect- 

 ing link between the two sections. 



