374 General Notices. 



of INIexico, a lieight of 128 feet, with an enormous girtli — the diameter being 

 from 30 to nearly 40 feet (!) wlien measured near the ground. While in 

 Louisiana, at 43° north, lat., it descends to the marshy district, (Cypress 

 swamps) it ranges from 5700 to 7G70 feet above the sea, within the Mexican 

 tropics ; from the roots excrescences of a conical, round, or tabular form, 

 spring up and project 3, and even 5, feet above the ground. Perfectly 

 hardy at the Cairnies. 



Taxodium sempervirens, syn. Sequoia Sempervirens (?), S. gigantea, End- 

 licher, 198. This is past all question the most stupendous tree of the whole 

 range of the Coniferse, yet recovered from their native wilds — attaining the 

 scarcely-conceivable height of 300 feet; although the Pinus Tiigona (Ra- 

 finesque) of the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, not yet introduced, 

 is of an equal height, Avith proportions otlierwise not less gigantic. It is in- 

 valuable as a timber tree. It is noticed in tlie Journal of the Horticidtural 

 Sodely, as being a native of the mountains of Santa Cruz, north of JMonte- 

 rey, in California. It is called by the American settlers, Redwood, or Bas- 

 tard Cedar. Even in dense forests it averages the height of 200 feet, with 

 a girth of from 18 to 24 feet in the stem, which shoots up straight as an 

 arrov/, and clear of branches to the height of 60 or 70 feet. One tree meas- 

 ured 55 feet in circumference, at 6 feet from the ground. The bark is very 

 thick. The timber is of a beautiful red color, like pencil-wood — fine close 

 grained, light, but brittle — and from its not being liable to warp in the sea- 

 soning, nor subject to the attacks of insects, it is well adapted for in and 

 out-door work. It is consequently an important article of export, and large 

 quantities are annually brought down to Santa Cruz for tliat purpose, which 

 are worth £8 per ton. Its hardiliood has now been satisfactorily tested. 



CRVPTOMERIA. 



Cryptomcrin Japonica. — This beautiful ally of the Cupressineoe was found 

 by Mr. Robert Fortune, in 1843, in the province of Kiang-nan, growing in 

 the country a few miles from the city of Shanghae, who describes it as tlie 

 most beautiful tree of the Coniferse, which is met with in China. He regards 

 it as not indigenous to tliat district, where the country is too low and flat 

 for its proper development. "And in tlie mountain districts, near Ningpo, 

 particularly at a celebrated temple named Tein-tung," he says, " some noble 

 specimens were met with, straiglit as larches, from 80 to 100 feet in height, 

 and clotlied with branches to tlic ground." They struck him as resembling 

 in appearance the Araucarias of Australia and Brazil, more than any other 

 tree he knew. From their appearing to be more at home on the hilly undu- 

 lating ground in the last named district, tlian at Shanghae, he suggests that 

 this fact be attended to in planting the tree in this country. Judging of the 

 climate there, he has no doubt of its proving hardy in Britain ; and from its 

 having withstood the severe winter of 1846-47, and proved itself to be as 

 hardy with us as the Deodar, he holds that fact as affording undoubted proof 

 of liis previous estimate. We have, in this species, he holds, a tree with 

 the striking habit of the above named Araucarias, than Avhich he regards 

 the present as still more graceful in form, Avith all the advantages of perfect 

 hardihood, a quality of which the others are devoid. He describes the tun- 



