Useful Plants into Victoria. 99 



Equal to the Oaks, if not superior to them in importance, are 

 the pines. In whatever view we regard them, no other trees 

 have greater claims on our attention. Quick growth, graceful 

 forms, evergreen foliage, utility of their timber and value of their 

 resinous secretions are in most of them admirably united, and in 

 some instances the produce even of esculent seeds adds to their 

 importance. 



To the last category belong the beautiful Japanese Ginko 

 (Salisburia adiantifolia), Pinus longifolia from Nepaul, Pinus 

 Cembra from Siberia, Pinus Lambertiana, Pinus edulis and Pinus 

 Fremontiana from North West America, and likewise the Euro- 

 pean Stone pine (Pinus pinea). The latter, which abounds in 

 Italy is particularly recommendable in our climate. Edible 

 kernels are likewise produced by the Moreton Bay and the 

 Chili Araucaria (Araucaria BidwiUi and A. imbricata). The 

 former (known as the Banya Banya tree) attains not rarely in 

 the mountains of subtropical eastern AustraUa, a height of 150 

 feet, and must be counted with all its congeners to be the most 

 gorgeous productions of the vegetable empire. All thrive well in 

 this colony, and whoever has had an opportunity of admiring 

 the grandeur of such forests can not sufficiently regret, 

 that these noble trees are not more extensively planted in this 

 country. 



Some of the beautiful Himalayan Pines, such as Pinus Web- 

 biana, Pinus Brunoniana, P. longifolia, P. Khutrow, P. Pindrow, 

 P. Deodara, the European Silver-fir (Pinus picea), the venerable 

 and gigantic Libanon Cedar, the turpentine-yielding Larch 

 (Larix Europoea) well adapted for barren and exposed localities, 

 and of quick growth, the Norway Spruce (Pinus Abies), the 

 pendulous black Larch from North America, the Canadian 

 Balsam Pine (Pinus balsamea), although of colder regions, the 

 "Weymouth Pine (Pinus Strobus) which attains in North America 

 a height of 200, Pinus canadensis, called the Hamlock spruce, 

 several of the huge Californian pines, such as Pinus Lambertiana, 

 which is satified with the poorest soil, Pinus Douglassii, Pinus 

 nobilis, Pinus insignis, the rapidly growing Sequoia sempervirens 

 and Wellingtonia gigantea are deserving a place in any larger 

 garden. The last mentioned pine is justly celebrated by Pro- 

 fessor Lindley as the Monarch of the Californian forests, the 

 height of one tree having been ascertained by actual measure- 

 ment to be 450 feet with a proportionate diameter of stem ! I 

 cannot conclude these remarks on the introduction of coniferous 

 trees without alluding to the broad-leaved Chinese Pine (Cun- 

 inghamia lanceolata), to the Japan Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), 



