258 GENERAL REVIEW. 



Douglas ii, A. pinsapo, A. nobilis, Araucaria excels a, A. imbri- 

 cata, Cedrus deodara, C. atlantica^ C. libani, Pinus picea, P. 

 pinaster, P. longifolia, and many others ; Taxodium sempervirens, 

 T. distichum, Wellingtonia gigantea, Salisburia adiantifolia, and 

 very many others, all more or less beautiful. Conifers are 

 readily multiplied by cuttings, layers, or seeds; while the golden 

 or variegated forms of Taxus, Cupressus, Thujopsis, &c., are 

 generally reproduced by grafting on stocks of their respective 

 green-leaved or normal kinds. Seedlings form the best stocks, 

 but where they are not handy, cuttings may be substituted. 

 The common Larch (Larix europaa) forms a good stock for 

 the Deodara and Cedar, as also does Cedrus atlantica. 



Every one who raises Conifers from either home-grown or 

 imported seeds is well aware of the diversity of colour and 

 habit which the seedling plants assume. This is particularly 

 observable in Lawson's Cypress; but Abies, Wellingtonias, 

 Araucarias, and Piceas show the variation in a scarcely less 

 marked degree ; and many of the most beautiful forms of Yew, 

 Abies, Cupressus, and Thuja have been originally either natural 

 variations selected from the seed-bed, or sports perpetuated by 

 grafting the variegated branches on a plant of the green or 

 normal form of the species as a stock. Up to the present time, 

 I believe I am right in saying that we have no hybrid Conifers 

 that is, no garden hybrids raised by artificial fertilisation ; for 

 there can be but little doubt that Conifers, being mostly gre- 

 garious and furnished with such ample supplies of easily-wafted 

 pollen, are often cross-fertilised or even hybridised in a state of 

 nature : and another point in favour of this cross-fertilising 

 process having long taken place is, that imported seeds produce 

 such a diversity of offspring. There appears to be no valid 

 reason why we should not raise hybrid Coniferae in our gardens, 

 now that we have so many fertile or cone-bearing specimens of 

 the rarer and more beautiful kinds ; and I strongly urge those 

 who have the opportunity, to make experiments in this direc- 

 tion. By crossing the more beautiful and tender kinds with 

 hardier species, we might obtain hardier races ; and if of addi- 

 tional beauty of leafage or habit, so much the better. Again, 

 some rare Conifers produce ample supplies of pollen before 

 they bear fertile cones, and by using this pollen to fertilise 

 older cone-bearing trees belonging to the same or an allied 

 genus, good results might be obtained. No matter, however, 

 whether success or failure is the result, the careful artificial 

 fecundation and cross-fertilisation or hybridisation of Conifers 

 is well worth attention from cultivators, as it appears to be as 

 yet an untrodden path to horticulturists. 



