IV TEMPERATE FOREST REGIONS 91 



at present in cultivation. The celebrated huon pine of 

 Tasmania is another fine tree of this region ; and one of the 

 proteacei-e {Lonuitia lonyifolia) has lived more than twenty 

 years in a garden near London. These, with such shrubs 

 as the white-flowered leptospermum and the purple veroni- 

 cas, will form a group of plants well illustrating the 

 beautiful evergreen woods of the Southern Hemisphere. 



There remain still the climbing plants, which form a 

 conspicuous ornament of all these forests, and many of 

 which are quite as hardy as the tregs they decorate. We 

 might adorn our North American forests with festoons of 

 the Virginia creeper and wild vines, while the red trumpet- 

 creeper and the passion-flower of the Southern States 

 would form beautiful objects, climbing over the bushes and 

 among the branches of trees, and displaying their showy 

 blossoms, which are hardly surpassed by the denizens of 

 our hothouses. The Asiatic forest would in like manner 

 be ornamented with lilac-flowered clematises, the Japan 

 honeysuckle, the evergreen banksian rose, the winter- 

 flowering yellow jasmine, and the glorious wistaria, the 

 very queen of climbing plants. It is the opinion of some 

 eminent horticulturists, that even the superb Chilian 

 Lapageria rosea would grow freely out of doors in a suit- 

 able soil and situation, and it might well be tried in 

 association with the trees and shrubs of the same country. 



Treatment of the Native Forest. 



Quitting now that portion of Epping Forest which 

 requires to be replanted, we find extensive tracts still more 

 or less covered with wood, and which require, comparatively 

 speaking, little to be done to them ; but that little should 

 be well considered and carefully executed. The preserva- 

 tion of " the natural aspect of the forest," as specially 

 mentioned in the Act of Parliament, should always be kept 

 prominently in view, and this principle should influence 

 the character of such foot-bridges, dams, banks, or other 

 building or engineering works as may be found absolutely 

 necessary. Every such work should be carefully studied, 

 so as to be at once in harmony with the surroundings, 



