CONIFERS AND PINES 125 



Perthshire, where also many another exotic Conifer 

 is grown in quantity. 



These words of Sir William Thiselton-Dyer, that 

 formed part of his opening address on the second 

 day of the Conifer conference of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society in 1891, may here be quoted : 



" Any one who had not travelled in Scotland could 

 form no idea of the extent to which rare Conifers 

 were cultivated in that country, and the splendid 

 development which they attained. The chairman, 

 by way of illustrating these remarks, directed the 

 attention of the audience to some large photographs 

 representing specimens of Coniferae to be seen at 

 Murthly Castle, Perthshire, where they flourished, 

 and where stately and magnificent examples 70 feet, 

 80 feet, and 100 feet high were to be met with. 

 Such trees could only be seen in Scotland, and were 

 the result of a peculiar association of physical condi- 

 tions. In the south-west of England it was impos- 

 sible to find a parallel, though even on the sunburnt 

 soil of Kew good specimens of the Pines proper were 

 occasionally to be seen. With regard to the Abies, 

 however that section of Conifers of which the 

 Spruces may be taken as a type a state of things 

 prevailed in Scotland which could not be rivalled in 

 England. On the other hand, the climate in the 

 south-west of the latter country was fairly suitable 

 for some other Conifers, and many of the fine 

 Mexican Pines could be grown there." 



Of the remarkable Douglas Fir at Dropmore, Mr. 

 Charles Herrin on the same occasion says : " The 



