CONIFEBJE. 39 



very beautiful, but seedling plants are rare. Douglas 

 introduced it in 1831. 



ABIES BALSAMEA. Miller. 

 (Balm of Gilead Silver Fir.) 



SYN. Pinus balsamea. Linnaeus. 

 Abies balsamifera. Michaux. 

 Picea balsamea. London. 



This tree is found in North America, growing in 

 poor soils, on cold mountain sides. It is very hand- 

 some when young, but usually loses its beauty and 

 becomes stunted in this country when about twenty-five 

 or thirty years old, the points of the shoots acquiring an 

 unnatural thickness. This probably arises from its 

 being planted in too rich a soil, choosing naturally 

 such as are of an opposite nature. Its form is a 

 regular pyramid, branches very numerous, which 

 produce many purple cones. Colour of the leaves, 

 dark green above, silvery beneath. 



ABIES BRUNONIANA. Lindley. 

 {Brunon's Fir.) 



SYN. Pinus dumosa. Lambert. 



Pinus Brunoniana. Wallich. 

 Abies dumosa. London. 



This very handsome fir resembles in habit the 

 Hemlock Spruce, but has larger leaves, of a deep 

 green above, very glaucous beneath. To succeed well 

 it should be planted on a high and dry situation, some- 

 what sheltered if possible ; in low damp places, and 

 where there is not a free circulation of air, it does not 



