2 62 TKANSACTIONS AND PROCKEDINGS [Sess. Lxvi. 



can nourish on them ; whereas, if they were judiciously 

 planted the climate would be softened, and the barren land 

 would become a moisture-retaining, fertile soil. 



This growing of timber would also mean employment 

 and the lessening of rural depopulation. 



(2) Planting trees for ornament. — Of the very many 

 trees and shrubs introduced to this country in the last 

 half-century there are probably not more than half a 

 dozen adapted for growing profitable timber ; and even 

 these, excepting Abies Douglasi, are much too dear to plant 

 extensively. In what better way could some of our wealthy 

 landowners (whose number is ever increasing) spend a portion 

 of their money than in adorning the surroundings of their 

 homes with as great a variety of trees and shrubs as the 

 limit of their grounds allow ? 



Beauty — something pleasing to the eye — is what is 

 wanted here, and so it is admissible to follow a much 

 higher and more expensive mode of cultivation. If top- 

 dressings of enriched earth, and even good manure, were 

 given much more than they are, we should not so often see 

 the scraggy apologies for ornamental trees we do. Choice 

 of species and varieties should be made to suit the climatic 

 conditions and soil of the locality, — many trees and flower- 

 ing shrubs grow and flower luxuriantly in the suburbs of 

 London that would not live in the suburbs of Edinburgh. 



There exists a generally mistaken idea that the very 

 ornamental Finns insignis is not hardy. This has been 

 proved to be false in some of the coldest districts. I have 

 seen it planted beside the Scots pine, and during a severe 

 blizzard in January the Scots pine was much scorched and 

 injured, while F. insignis escaped unhurt. 



