948 ARBORETUM ET FRUTICETUM BRITANNICUM. 



very close, the wood is elastic and resilient. Being resinous, it is also, in 

 general, very durable, and of great combustibility. The fiuit of the vibietinse 

 are all cones, which vary somewhat in form, though they are in general, as the 

 word implies, conical ; and they differ in size, from that of yl'bies canadensis, 

 which is about half an inch in length, to that of Pinus LambertMa, which 

 has been found 2 ft. long. The largest seeds are those of the Pinus Pinea ; 

 and the smallest those of some species of J^bies. In germinating, the seed 

 first swells and bursts at the upper or narrow end, whence the radicle proceeds 

 and turns downwards into the soil ; while, soon after, the lower, or thick, 

 part of the seed 0[)ens, and the leaves are developed, and rise above' the 

 surface of the ground. The rate of growth of the ^bietinae is, in general, 

 rapid ; and the duration of the tree, compared with that of the oak, sliort. 

 The most rapid-growing species in the climate of London is the Pinus Laricio, 

 which will attain the height of 20 ft. in 10 years ; and the species of this 

 section generally reach maturity, in the climate of Britain, in from 60 to 100 

 years. Most of the European species bear cones at about 20 years' growth, 

 or before; the spruce fir, on dry chalk}' soils, in less than half that period. 

 The pinaster arrives at maturity sooner than any other European pine, but 

 seldom lasts longer than from 40 to 50 years. The European species of 

 slowest growth, and -greatest duration, is the P. Cevibra, which seldom attains 

 more than 30 or 40 feet in height, but which lives for several centuries. The 

 two species which in Europe are most valuable for their timber are, the P. 

 sylvestris and the iarix europae'a. The grandest and most ornamental species 

 is, unquestionably, the f'edrus Libani; and the most elegant and graceful the 

 ^^bies canadensis. The species which produce the greatest quantity of timber 

 in the shortest time, in the chmate of Britain, are, the Scotch pine and the 

 larch : but, in favourable situations, both in Germany and Switzerland, these 

 species are exceeded in this respect by the silver fir ; m Spain by the pinaster; 

 and in North America by the Weymouth pine. The greater number of tlie 

 species of Jbietinae will live in the open air in the climate of London ; but 

 some few require to be protected there from the frost. The debris of granitic 

 rock may be considered as the universal soil of the pine and fir tribe, and a 

 dry subsoil an essential condition for tlieir prosperity ; but they will grow on 

 all soils whatever, that are not surcharged with water. The roots of all the 

 .^bietinas run immediately under the surface, and hence do not require a deep 

 soil ; and, as their needle-like leaves do not carry oft' much moisture by evapo- 

 ration, the soil in which the ^bietinae will grow to a large size may be drier 

 than that required for any other kind of tree. Nevertheless, a soil somewhat 

 loamy, and a cool subsoil, are necessary to bring the timber of the pine to its 

 greatest degree of perfection ; and various species, particularly those belonging 

 to the genus Picea, require a loam rather rich than poor, and a situation low 

 rather than elevated, ^'bies communis growS naturally on moist soil ; often 

 on peat bogs. The only mode of propagating the pine and fir tribe on a large 

 scale is by seeds ; but all the species will succeed by layers, by inarching on 

 closel}- allied kinds, and by herbaceous grafting ; and many, if not all, may 

 also be propagated by cuttings. The species which strike by cuttings most 

 readily are those belonging to the genera Picea, ^H)ies, Larix, and C'edrus. 

 The cuttings may be taken from the lateral branches, when the current year's 

 shoots are beginning to ripen, and prepared like those of Cape heaths ; they 

 should then be planted in sand, and covered with a glass. This being 

 generally done in August or September, the cutting should be kept in a frame, 

 from which frost is excluded, throughout the winter ; and the greater part of 

 them will send up shoots the following Mav or June, and may be transplanted 

 the succeeding autumn. The operation of herbaceous grafting is performed 

 in the cleft manner ; the slit being made a little deeper than that part of the 

 scion which is to be inserted in it. The time of performing the operation is 

 when the leading shoot of the stock has attained the length of from 8 in. to 

 12 in., and will break over (without tearing the bark) hke a piece of glass, or 

 the most succulent part of a shoot of asparagus fit to gather for the table. 



\ 



