Abies 761 



not in practice be confused with it. The prominent pulvini of the young branchlets, 

 which are only pubescent in the grooves, will distinguish it at once from Abies 

 sibirica, which it resembles in general appearance. The latter species has quite 

 smooth branchlets, provided with a scattered minute pubescence. (A. H.) 



Distribution and Cultivation 



This species was discovered in the Island of Saghalien by Schmidt in 1866, 

 and was subsequently found, in 1878, in Yezo by Maries, who sent home seeds in 

 the following year.^ The tree is known in Japan as Todo-matsu. 



It is a native of the Kurile Islands, Saghalien, and the northern island of 

 Japan.^ In Saghalien it either forms pure woods or is mixed with one or both 

 of the spruces {Picea ajanensis and Picea Glehnit) which occur in that island. 



This is the common, and perhaps the only, silver fir of Hokkaido, where it 

 extends from nearly sea-level up to 4000 or 5000 feet altitude, and all over the island 

 in suitable places ; in the south usually as a scattered tree in mixed forests of 

 deciduous trees ; in the north and some parts of the west central districts in dense 

 pure forests, or with a mixture of birch and poplar. The finest areas of this species 

 are in the Imperial domains at Tarunai, Uryu, Kushiro, and in the State forests 

 at Shari, and Kunajiri. I endeavoured to visit some of these under the 

 guidance of Mr. Shirasawa, but owing to the torrential rains which flooded the 

 country in the middle of July and broke the railway in many places, I was unable to 

 do so. The country where these forests occur is much like parts of eastern Siberia, 

 having a hot, moist summer, a warm autumn, and a very heavy snowfall which lies 

 for four to five months ; the climatic conditions, therefore, are such that the tree is 

 not likely to be a success in Great Britain, and, so far as I could see, it has no 

 special beauty to recommend it. The largest that I saw were about 100 feet by 

 9 feet, but it grows taller in some places. 



The timber is of fair quality, and is used in house- and ship-building, also for 

 furniture and paper-making ; and is worth at Tokyo about lod. per cubic foot. 



The Saghalien fir is rare in cultivation, the largest specimen we have seen 

 being one at Fota, in the south of Ireland, which was about 25 feet high in 

 1907. It looks healthy, but begins to grow early in the season, and is said 

 to be frequently hurt by spring frost. We have measured no specimens in 

 Scotland, but one at Murthly Castle, about 16 feet high, is reported by Mr. Bean* 

 as not looking healthy. According to Kent, the tree is, like most of the conifers 

 coming from similar climates, unable to thrive in England. In New England, 

 however, it grows much better, and I saw healthy young trees at Mr. Hunnewell's 

 place at Wellesley, Massachusetts. (H, J, E.) 



1 Hortus Veitchii, 337 (1906). 



2 It was reported by Matsumura (Tokyo Bot. Mag. xv. (1901), p. 141), to occur in Formosa, on Mt. Morrison ; but 

 this was a mistaken identification, as the silver fir in this locality is A. Mariesii, according to Hayata, in Tokyo Bot. Mag. 

 xix. (1905), p. 45. * Card. Chron. xli. 117 (1907). 



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