GENUS ABIES. 13 



below, each leaf being about i| inches long, glaucous olive- 

 green above, and marked with two silvery lines on the under 

 side. The cones are cylindrical, 5 to 7 inches long, by from 

 2 to 3 inches in diameter, the scale edges incurved, and the 

 protruding bracts terminating in a tail-like appendage. In 

 its younger stages, the whole tree wears a whitish silvery 

 appearance, as if coated with hoar frost ; but this beautiful 

 colouring is most noticeable when the specimens are growing 

 under unusually favourable conditions. As an ornamental 

 tree, the present species is of great value, while the growth is 

 rapid, one specimen of which I kept a record having attained 

 to the height of 25 feet in a little over twelve years. It 

 thrives vigorously in reclaimed peat-bog ; but it also does 

 well in rich loam, as is evident from the growth of the tree at 

 Woburn Abbey.^ 



A. Mariesii, Masters. Mountains of Japan. 1879. 

 This is likely to turn out a useful conifer for ornamental 

 planting. It is remarkable in that the foliage resembles some 

 of the Tsugas, while the large purple cones, often 5 inches long 

 and cylindrical in shape, decide it to be a true Abies. The 

 leaves are only | of an inch long, many being much shorter, 

 for the most part erect, and evenly disposed around the stem, 

 and of a dull green colour. Being quite hardy in this country, 

 it is to be hoped that it will soon get widely disseminated, while 

 it grows with a fair amount of freedom, and in soils of ordinary 

 quality. 



A. nobilis, Lindley. Noble Silver Fir. (^Synonyms: 

 Pinus nobilis, Douglas ; Picea 7iobilis, Loudon.) Oregon and 

 California. 1831. This tree is one of the hardiest and hand- 

 somest of the group, and is probably more common than any 

 other of the recently introduced species. Amongst the silver 

 firs it is certainly the most conspicuous and beautiful, the 



1 The once famous collection of coniferous trees in Woburn Park, and from 

 which specimens for the compilation of The Finetum Woburense were mainly 

 obtained, is now almost a thing of the past. Many of the finest trees have either 

 been killed outright, or are sadly crippled and disfigured by the encroachment of 

 stronger growing species. At one or two points in the evergreens, but particu' 

 larly in the flower garden, are still a few rare and beautiful specimens. 



