538 EVERGREEN TREES AND SHRUBS. 



smoothly-rounded and symmetrical beauty, gives it an expression- 

 more in harmony with deciduous trees than most evergreens, while 

 in mountain regions it develops the highest degree of picturesque- 

 ness. Its form is generally rounded rather than pyramidal ; the 

 branches radiate more irregularly, and are not so straight and for- 

 mal in their disposition as those of the white and Austrian pines, 

 and the foliage therefore breaks into less stratified and more oak- 

 like masses. For this reason, on young trees, the foliage appears 

 to be more dense than that of the white pine. 



The dull color of its foliage is the one thing that prevents the: 

 Scotch pine from being the most popular of evergreens; for it 

 unites every other good quality for planting. This color varies, 

 from a grayish to a bluish green, not at all pleasing in itself. The 

 leaves are in two's, from one and a half inches to two and a half 

 inches long, twisted, rigid, standing out all around the branches^ 

 Cones ovate-conical, from two to three inches long. 



Whether the following variety of the Scotch pine, so highly com- 

 mended, has been cultivated in our nurseries, we do not know ; but 

 have supposed all the American stock of this tree to be of the com- 

 mon sort above described. 



The Red-wood Scotch, or Highland Pine. JP. s. horizon- 

 talis. — This variety is distinguished by the horizontal and drooping- 

 character of its branches, which tend downward close to the trunk ;. 

 by the lighter and brighter bluish-green color of its leaves, and 

 less rugged bark. Sir Walter Scott urged this as the true Scotch 

 pine, or at least the variety which develops the noble and pictur- 

 esque forms that have given the species its high rank, and that the 

 common sort " is an inferior variety, a mean looking tree, but very 

 prolific of seed, on which account the nursery gardeners are ena- 

 bled to raise it in vast quantities." The highland pine bears com- 

 paratively few seeds ; and the seed gatherers, who are only paid by 

 the quantity, naturally collect only from trees the most prolific in 

 cones. 



No finely-formed trees of either variety can be produced which 

 do not grow from the start in open ground, exposed on all sides to 

 the sun and wind. When " drawn up " by the shade or contiguity 

 of other trees, it speedily forms a lank, ill-branched stem, and rarely- 



