THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Fig. 1662 — Magnolia. 



trees to blend with the minaiture moun- 

 tains and lakes they are so fond of in 

 their landscape compositions. 



A great contrast to this tiny conifer 

 is the Douglas spruce of our frontispiece, 

 standing in Stanley Park, Vancouver. 

 Some distance from the ground a fairy 

 like balcony of Licorice ferns relieves 

 the gaunt expanse of its trunk. The trees 

 of this park are in general tall and 

 majestic and in some places rise from 

 luxuriant thickets of bracken higher 

 than a man's head. A fine view at the 

 end of the drive in Stanley Park is the 

 subject of our next illustration (Fig. 

 1663.) 



The Rocky Mountain region and the 

 Pacific slope of our Continent have 

 always been remarkable for the size of 

 their trees. There is a story of a gigan- 

 tic fossil tree alleged to have been found 

 by a party of gold diggers in Nevada 

 in i860. It lay on the ground and its 

 trunk was 666 feet in length. The 

 '' Monarchs of the Mariposa," sustain 



in later ages the claim of the west to 

 majestic trees. 



British Columbia has species of large 

 cone-bearing trees. One of the most 

 interesting of these is the Sugar pine 

 (Pinus I ambertiana ) so called because 

 its resin, when half burned by the pas- 

 sage of a fire is sweet. Ford notes a 

 fallen tree of this species 215 feet in 

 length and 57 feet 9 inches in diameter. 

 The same writer speaks of pines of a 

 certain species growing on the Colum- 

 bian river that attains the height of 

 240 feet. 



In running the boundary between 

 British Columbia and the United States 

 the axe-men had in one locality the her- 

 culean task of hewing out the line 

 through patches of gigantic Douglas 

 spruce, many of which were 30 feet in 

 circumference and from 200 to 250 feet 

 in height. 



In Eastern Canada some years ago 

 two old pines of remarkable size enjoyed 

 a local fame as the Old Man and Old 

 Maid of Kempenfelt on the shores of 

 the bay of that name. 



There is an Indian legend that shows 

 very well how the aboriginals the chil- 

 dren of the forest esteemed the pine 

 and cedar for their size, stability and 

 length of life. Glooskap was a divinity. 

 " Hearing that they could win the de- 

 sires of their hearts there went forth 

 men unto him ; and all got what they 

 asked for in any case, but as for having 

 just what they wanted that depended on 

 the wisdom with which they wished and 

 acted. 



Three brothers journeyed from afar 

 to the isle of enchanting beauty where 

 in three wigwams dwelt Glooskap with 

 Cuhkeo, the Earthquake and Cool-pig-ot 

 a man without any bones. The first of 

 the brothers who was very tall and was 

 vain of his comeliness asked to become 



384 



