PINUS. 



TtiE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



PINUS. 631 



to keep the trees always in this form, 

 whereas the nature of the Pine is 

 generally to shed its lower branches, 

 and hence we get that wonderful 

 dignity of the Pine as seen on the 

 mountains, both in the new and 

 old worlds, lovely pillars crowding 

 all over the northern mountains. 

 I have seen Pines condemned because 

 they began to assume this habit of 

 shedding their lower branches and 

 taking their true character. Like 

 other important families of trees, these 

 have numerous garden and other 

 varieties which are generally best left 

 out if we seek to get the full expression 

 of the natural beauty of the trees ; 

 but, as usual, the practice of pro- 

 fessional planters generally is rather 

 against us. Ugly, contracted, and 

 monstrous forms are always in cata- 

 logues, which should be let alone 

 there. While such varieties are often 

 worthless, natural varieties, especially 

 of kinds inhabiting vast regions of the 

 earth, like the Scotch Pine in northern 

 Europe, and the Western Yellow Pine 

 in America, may be important in 

 giving us hardier varieties, or those 

 of special use, like the Russian form 

 of the Scotch Fir. Synonyms are 

 numerous, and unfortunately lead to 

 confusion in the nomenclature, but 

 among Pines, if anywhere, what is 

 not worth knowing is not worth grow- 

 ing, and all the great Pines are so 

 distinct in form that those who care 

 about them will soon know them by 

 heart, and the showy labelling method 

 of the "pinetum" is not necessary in 

 any good way of planting. 



The "pinetum" which we see in 

 many country places is not by any 

 means the best way of growing the 

 trees. The isolation of specimens 

 in the turf allows the grass in dry 

 seasons to take away all the moisture 

 from the tree, while the effect of this 

 dotting about of trees is far from 

 artistic. The true pinetum is a wood 

 of Pines chosen for their perfect 

 hardiness in any given district, shel- 

 tering each other, promoting the true 

 growth of the Pine by their close 

 planting, especially in early life, shad- 

 ing the ground and keeping the 

 moisture in it. In such a pinetum the 

 trees should be planted in groups and 

 colonies, not necessarily rigidly separ- 

 ated by hard-and-fast lines, but some- 

 times those of like regions running 

 together as the European cone-bear- 

 ing trees do in the mountains of C. 

 Europe. 



The advantage of grouping and 

 massing the Pines in a natural way 

 is that they not only protect them- 

 selves from the sun, but the leaves 

 and dead branches of the trees help 

 to nourish the ground. The roots are 

 very near the surface, and they get a 

 source of nourishment which fails them 

 in the ordinary pinetum. 



In places where there is not room 

 enough to make a Pine-wood even, we 

 should get a better effect by grouping 

 the Pines than by scattering them 

 about as they are often seen, where 

 there is little room. 



In making the " pinetum," the 

 richest ground is often taken, and large 

 holes are made and filled with rich 

 soil, whereas I think the better way 

 would be to choose true Pine soil, if 

 we have it that is, rocky or poor 

 ground of little use for anything else, 

 and, by rightly choosing and plant- 

 ing the trees, thus doing away with 

 the need of costly and special prepara- 

 tion. Rich soil and preparation give 

 a rapid growth at first, but no means of 

 testing the value of any Pine in the 

 natural soil of the place. The rapid 

 growth is often followed by weak- 

 ness of wood, and often by too early 

 destruction from storms, while the 

 timber of such trees is always inferior 

 to that grown in poor or rocky ground. 

 We have the clearest evidence, on 

 the mountains of Europe, California, 

 Scotland, and elsewhere, that very fine 

 Pines may be, and are, grown naturally 

 on very poor rocky soils, and we should 

 take this lesson and make our Pine- 

 wood in such a soil, or one as near 

 as we can approach to it. In some 

 places, we may wish for the effects of a 

 Pine-wood in a given situation, and in 

 that way we must take the soil as it 

 comes. 



The habit of planting " specimen " 

 trees, common in our present day 

 pinetums, is a costly and not a good 

 way. The best way in all cases is to 

 plant little trees, never over i foot 

 high. I have often planted them much 

 smaller with perfect success; they 

 have a struggle at first, but the growth 

 is quicker and cleaner than that of 

 larger trees, the specimens of the 

 ordinary nursery having a very hard 

 time in dry seasons. 



In the following enumeration of the 

 finer Pines I have omitted those of 

 doubtful hardiness or fitness for our 

 climate from any cause : 



P. AUSTRIACA (Austrian Pine). One of 

 the best and hardiest pines ; distinct in 



