948 ARBORETUM ET FRUTICETUM BRITANNICUM. 
very close, the wood is elastic and resilient. Being resinous, it is also, in 
general, very durable, and of great combustibility. The fruit of the Abiétine 
are all cones, which vary somewhat in form, though they are in general, as the 
word implies, conical ; and they differ in size, from that of Abies canadénsis, 
which is about half an inch in length, to that of Pinus Lambertiana, which 
has been found 2 ft. long. The largest seeds are those of the Pinus Pinea ; 
and the smallest those of some species of Abies. In germinating, the seed 
first swells and bursts at the upper or narrow end, whence the radicle proceeds 
and turns downwards into the soil; while, soon after, the lower, or thick, 
part of the seed opens, and the leaves are developed, and rise above the 
surface of the ground. The rate of growth of the Abiétine is, in general, 
rapid ; and the duration of the tree, compared with that of the oak, short. 
The most rapid-growing species in the climate of London is the Pinus Laricio, 
which will attain the height of 20 ft. in 10 years ; and the species of this 
section generally reach maturity, in the climate of Britain, in from 60 to 100 
years. Most of the European species bear cones at about 20 years’ growth, 
or before; the spruce fir, on dry chalky soils, in less than half that period. 
The pinaster arrives at maturity sooner than any other European pine, but 
seldom lasts longer than from 40 to 50 years. The European species of 
slowest growth, and greatest duration, is the P. Cémbra, which seldom attains 
more than 30 or 40 feet in height, but which lives for several centuries. The 
two species which in Europe are most valuable for their timber are, the P. 
sylvéstris and the Larix europe’a. The grandest and most ornamental species 
is, unquestionably, the Cédrus Libani; and the most elegant and graceful the 
A’bies canadénsis. The species which produce the greatest quantity of timber 
in the shortest time, in the climate of Britain, are, the Scotch pine and the 
larch : but, in favourable situations, both in Germany and Switzerland, these 
species are exceeded in this respect by the silver fir ; m Spain by the pinaster ; 
and in North America by the Weymouth pine. The greater number of the 
species of Abiétine will live in the open air in the climate of London ; but 
some few require to be protected there from the frost. The debris of granitic 
rock may be considered as the universal soil of the pine and fir tribe, and a 
dry subsoil an essential condition for their prosperity ; but they will grow on 
all soils whatever, that are not surcharged with water. The roots of all the 
Abiétine run immediately under the surface, and hence do not require a deep 
soil ; and, as their needle-like leaves do not carry off much moisture by evapo- 
ration, the soil in which the Abiétinz will grow to a large size may be drier 
than that required for any other kind of tree. Nevertheless, a soil somewhat 
loamy, and a cool subsoil, are necessary to bring the timber of the pine to its 
greatest degree of perfection ; and various species, particularly those belonging 
to the genus Picea, require a loam rather rich than poor, and a situation low 
rather than elevated. Abies communis grows naturally on moist soil ; often 
on peat bogs. The only mode of propagating the pine and fir tribe on a large 
scale is by seeds ; but all the species will succeed by layers, by inarching on 
closely allied kinds, and by herbaceous grafting; and many, if not all, may 
also be propagated by cuttings. The species which strike by cuttings most 
readily are those belonging to the genera Picea, A‘bies, Larix, and Cédrus. 
The cuttings may be taken from the lateral branches, when the current year’s 
shoots are beginning to ripen, and prepared like those of Cape heaths; they 
should then be planted in sand, and covered with a glass. This being 
generally done in August or September, the cutting should be kept in a frame, 
from which frost is excluded, throughout the winter ; and the greater part of 
them will send up shoots the following May or June, and may be transplanted 
_the succeeding autumn. The operation of herbaceous grafting is performed 
in the cleft manner ; the slit being made a little deeper than that part of the 
scion which is to be inserted in it. The time of performing the operation is 
when the leading shoot of the stock has attained the length of from 8 in. to 
12 in., and will break over (without tearing the bark) like a piece of glass, or 
the most succulent part of a shoot of asparagus fit to gather for the table. 
