THE PINE SUB-FAMILY. 127 



tree growing 120 feet in height ; but perhaps he may have 

 been mistaken, as his account differs from that of others. 



The tree forms a handsome, regular cone, clothed with 

 branches to the ground, very dense in its growth, as hardy 

 as any of our native species, and in a group of pines, the 

 darkness of its foliage contrasts finely with the lighter 

 green of other members of this family. " According to 

 Lambert," says Loudon, " the flowers have a more beauti- 

 ful appearance than in any other species of pine, being of 

 a bright purple ; and the unripe full-grown cones, he says, 

 have a bloom upon them like that of a ripe Orleans Plum." 



The slowness of its growth, however, is to be regretted, 

 for were it otherwise, we could without reservation recom- 

 mend it for extensive cultivation ; but, notwithstanding 

 this unpopular obstacle, the Stone Pine is deservedly in 

 favor for creating certain effects in landscape gardening, 

 which are unobtainable with any other species. 



Loudon says: "In England, it is a formal, and we 

 do not think it can be considered a handsome tree ; it 

 presents to the eye a multiplicity of tufts of leaves, 

 piled up one above another, of the same size, and 

 equidistant, and everywhere of a rather dull green color. 

 The uniformity of shape is nowhere broken, except at the 

 summit, where alone the cones are produced ; and hence, 

 as a mass, it may be characterized as formal and monoto- 

 nous, without being grand." 



The same author subsequently remarks : " The summit of 

 the tree, however, and its purple cones, we acknowledge 

 to be truly beautiful. That we may not run the slightest 

 risk of injuring this tree, we may mention that Mr. Lam- 

 bert, so far from entertaining the same opinion as we do re- 

 specting it, looks upon it as one of the handsomest trees 

 of the whole genus" 



An excellent quality in the Stone Pine is its adaptability 

 to almost all kinds of soils and situations, and even Lou- 

 don is forced to admit this when he remarks : " Though 



