THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



PINUS. 



753 



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. 



Not only is it unnecessary to make 

 costly and special preparation of soil for 

 Pines that suit our climate, but they 

 actually seem to do as well in rocky and 

 shaly places where there is almost no soil 

 at all. When in California, I often saw 

 seedling Pines starting vigorously on the 

 bare places where the gold-miners had 

 washed away the surface for many feet, 

 and the little Pines came and sowed 

 themselves on the bare, soilless ground, 

 and, bearing this in mind, I have several 

 times planted Pines in quarries and places 

 where there was literally no soil except 

 the debris of the stones that had been 

 turned out, and the result was even better 

 than we got in the natural soil around. 



Often in young woods of Pine we find 

 double-headed trees owing to false starts 

 from our exciting mild winters, the attacks 

 of squirrels, and other causes. Where 

 time can be spared it is a good way to 

 go round now and then in spring, and 

 just pinch out the points of the second 

 leader in every case where we see two 

 or more growths where one erect leader 

 should be seen. 



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 ft. high ; I have often 

 planted them much smaller with perfect 

 success. They have a struggle at first, 

 but eventually the growth is quigker and 

 cleaner than that of older trees, the speci- 

 men trees of the ordinary nursery having 

 a very hard time in dry seasons. 



In devoting a piece of ground to the 

 pinetum it is as well to begin by 

 ploughing it and letting it mellow in the 

 frost and air for a year or so, but this is 

 by no means necessary in poor rocky or 

 mountain ground. In some cases it may 

 be quite safe to sow seed of the Pine on 

 the ground where we wish it to grow, 

 instead of the usual nursery system, sow- 

 ing in lines about 4 ft. apart, so as to be 

 able to protect the trees a little in infancy, 

 though that is not always necessary, 

 because Pines that suit the climate will 

 often get over all their early difficulties, 

 except the rabbit and hare. These ought 

 to be excluded by good wiring for at least 

 seven years after forming the plantation, 

 by which time, if the choice of trees has 

 been a good one, they will be too old and 

 vigorous for the teeth of these creatures 

 to kill, and all wire can be taken away 

 and grassy paths and drives may lead 



freely from the Pine-wood into other 

 woods or plantations near. In the follow- 

 ing enumeration of the finer species 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 form 

 and colour, attaining a maximum height of 

 nearly 100 ft., of close dense growth when 

 young, thriving on calcareous and poor stony 

 or rocky ground and on clay soils (but not on 

 poor sands). Owing to its close "covert" 

 and habit it nourishes the ground beneath it 

 so well with its fallen leaves that it is self- 

 supporting and gives precious shelter. It is 

 often planted in Britain, but generally set out 

 in the usual specimen way so that the tree is 

 slow to take its true form as it does when 

 grouped as trees should be. The final form of 

 the tree, which so far we hardly ever see in 

 our grounds, is very picturesque, with a free 

 open head, but, being a free grower and giving 

 valuable wood, however grouped or massed it 

 should be freely thinned so as to allow of its 

 full development. 



In books this Pine is sometimes classed as a 

 variety of the Corsican Pine, but, from a 

 planter's point of view, the trees are as distinct 

 as any other Pines in colour and form. Being a 

 native of the mountains of Lower Austria, 

 Styria and Carinthia, sometimes also growing 

 on the low hills and even plains, it would, I 

 think, be distinctly hardier than the Corsican 

 in the case of very severe winters and their 

 effects in low ground. 



P. CEMBRA (Swiss Pine). A hardy northern 

 Pine of distinct, close-growing form, and a 

 very slow grower in our country, as well as in 

 its native land on the mountains of Central 

 Europe or in Siberia, where it attains a maxi- 

 mum height of loo ft. 



P. COULTERI. A Californian tree, not so 

 large as other kinds from that great country of 

 Pines, but remarkable for the great size of its 

 cones, which are often 20 ins. long and 

 weighing 10 Ib. in its own country. In our 

 country this tree should be planted only under 

 the most favourable conditions, in sheltered 

 valleys and on warm soils. 



P. EXCELSA (Himalayan Pine}. A hand- 

 some tree, much planted in Britain with long, 

 slender, drooping leaves and pendent cones. It 

 is a native of the Himalayas and of very wide 

 distribution in Asia, and also in another form 

 inhabits the mountains of Greece and south- 

 eastern Europe on high elevations. In our 

 country it thrives best in warm and well-drained 

 soils. 



P. HALEPENSIS (Jerusalem Pine}. A dis- 

 tinct and very useful Pine throughout the rocky 

 parts of Greece and its islands, also Crete, 

 Asia Minor, Syria and Palestine. When one 

 travels in those countries the hills seem very 

 bare until you get near their slopes, when the 

 welcome growth of this Pine appears, a fre- 

 quently graceful and stately tree. Coming 

 from such a hot country it is not likely to be so 

 useful with us, except in warm districts. 



3 c 



