1 1 68 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



afterwards plants were noticed in Low's nursery at Clapton, which had been raised 

 from seed received from Fischer, Director of the St. Petersburg Botanic Garden, 

 as a new species of cypress from California. Hartweg found the tree near Monterey 

 in 1846, and sent home a further supply of seed. 



Though the natural habitat of this tree is in a region where frost rarely 

 occurs, yet its constitution is so robust that it thrives on dry soil in many inland 

 districts where the thermometer descends to zero, and in the warmer and moister 

 counties of the south and west has already attained as great a height as any recorded 

 in its native country ; but it cannot be called hardy ' everywhere, as it is on heavy or 

 wet soil liable to be severely cut by frost in winter and spring, especially in low-lying 



situations. 



Its power of resisting strong gales from the sea, and its partiality for a maritime 

 climate, make it a valuable tree for planting where shelter belts are required on the 

 coast ; and its rapid growth when young, coupled with its bushy habit, are additional 

 points in its favour for this purpose. 



Lawson's Pinetum Britanicum gives many particulars of its comparative 

 hardiness in various parts of the country, and quotes statistics from Palmer's 

 tables showing that in the severe winter of 1860-61 it was killed in 57 places, injured 

 in 24, and unhurt in 27. Of the latter all those in the north are near the sea, but 

 even as far north as the Orkney Islands it was said by Mr. Macdonald,^ gardener 

 at Balfour Castle, to be the most valuable of all the conifers, enduring the storms 

 and saline winds without any signs of injury. 



It seems indifferent to the nature of the soil in a well-drained situation, and 

 grows well on limestone, sand, and peat. 



It produces seed freely in this country, and is easy to raise from seed, growing 

 faster when young than any other cypress, and attaining 6 to 10 in. in the first year's 

 growth. It transplants without much risk in the spring or early autumn, and can be 

 raised so cheaply and rapidly that there is every inducement to plant it more freely 

 than has hitherto been done as an ornamental tree. But its timber seems to be so 

 coarse and knotty as compared with that of other cypresses, that it is not likely 

 to be of any economic value. 



In habit it varies very much, and it is possible that by selection of seed from 

 trees showing an upright and fastigiate habit, varieties may be fixed in cultivation, 

 which do not produce branches so freely as those commonly seen. 



This cypress is one of the most valuable species for making hedges, good 

 examples of which may be seen at Torquay.* It bears clipping well, grows very 

 fast, much faster than yew, and is of a lively green colour. It is said to be 

 rarely attacked by rabbits," but I cannot say this from personal experience. 



1 According to Card. Chron. 1868, p. 152, a tree planted at Gunnersbury Park in 1854, and which had attained 61 ft in 

 height, was destroyed by the severe frost of the winter 1867-68. In Gard. Chron. 1870, p. 249, it is stated that nearly all 

 the specimens in the Thames valley were killed in i860. This species was badly injured at Kew by the severe frost of 

 February 1895. Cf. Keia Bulletin, 1896, p. 8. 



2 Journ. Roy. Hort. Sac. xiv. 526 (1892). 



' Cf. Gard. Chron. xxvi. 342 (1899). A hedge of this species, 10 ft. high and 400 yds. long, at Lofthouse, Torquay, 

 which was planted in 1892, is illustrated in The Garden, Ixvii. 358 (1905). 



* A. Gooden, in Gard. Chron. xxvi. 466 (1904), reports that four bullocks were killed at Burton Park, Petworth, it was 

 supposed, through eating C. macrocarpa, but this is unconfirmed. 



