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PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO QABDEN PLANTS pseudotsuga 



and drooping branches with delicate 

 feathery sprays of deep green foliage, 

 silvered on the under surface, and par- 

 ticularly attractive in early summer, when 

 every shoot ends in a tuft of golden-green 

 leaves. It has cones similar to those 

 of the Hemlock Spruce, but somewhat 

 longer. 



Culture dc. as above. It is an ex- 

 cellent tree for large lawns and parks 

 sheltered from the north and east, and 

 grown in a peaty loam. At Castle Men- 

 zies, Perth, there is a fine specimen about 

 47 years old, and not far short of 80 ft. 

 high, which ripens seeds freely. At the 

 Cairnies, Perth, there is also a vigorous 

 tree about 40 years old, and about 65 ft. 

 high. 



T. pattoniana {Abies and Pinus pat- 

 toniana; Abies Williamsoni). — An orna- 

 mental alpine Conifer rarely 100 ft. high, 

 with a trunk 5-7 ft. in diameter, in British 

 Columbia and the mountains of Central 

 California, where it grows at an elevation 

 between 3000 and 10,000 ft. on dry slopes 

 and ridges. It has a graceful habit, with 

 slender downy twigs covered with rather 

 sharp, angular, often curved, light green 

 leaves ^-1 in. long, and produces cylin- 

 drical oblong cones 2-3 in. long. 



The plant known as T. hoohericma 

 is regarded by some as identical with 

 T. pattoniama, but the two are probably 

 distinct enough for garden purposes. In 

 T. hooheriama the closely set linear leaves 

 have a glaucous tint, while the ovoid 

 cylindrical cones, 1-2 in. long, pass from 

 dark purple when young to soft brown 

 when ripe. 



Culture &c. as above. 



T. Sieboldi. — A beautiful and rare 

 Japanese Conifer 80-100 ft. high in a 

 wild state, where it grows in stony warm 

 valleys. It produces irregularly spread- 

 ing branches, drooping at the ends and 

 divided into numerous slender recurved 

 twigs, covered with 2 rows of flat, some- 

 what linear, blunt leaves, deep green 

 above, with 2 glaucous white stripes be- 

 neath. There is a variety called nana. 



Culture dtc. as above. 



PSEUDOTSUGA (Douglas Fir). 

 This genus contains only one species : — 



P. Douglasi {Abies, Picea, Pinus, and 

 Tsuga Douglasi; Pinus and Pseudo- 

 tsuga taxifolia). — The Douglas Fir ex- 

 tends in a wild state from British Columbia 



to Colorado, Texas, and Mexico, and is 

 found at aU elevations from the sea level 

 to 10,000 ft. on the mountain sides. Ac- 

 cording to locahty it forms a large and 

 magnificent tree 100-300 ft. high, with a 

 trunk 3-12 ft. in diameter. It has a 

 reddish-brown shining bark, and drooping 

 and symmetrically disposed branches with 

 flat Imear spreading leaves 1-2 in. long, 

 in 2 rows, bright glossy green above, and 

 more or less glaucous beneath. The ovoid 

 oblong cones are about 4 in. long, with 

 broad rounded scales and conspicuous, 

 projecting, deeply toothed bracts. 



The Douglas Fir — as may be seen 

 from the hst of synonyms — has been 

 like a shuttlecock in the hands of the 

 botanists, and although it received its 

 present name of Pseudotsuga from the 

 French botanist M. Carri^re in 1867, it. 

 is still far better known in British gardens 

 as Abies Douglasi. As its botanical cha- 

 racters did not fit with those of any of 

 the genera quoted in the synonyms, a 

 new genus had to be created for its re- 

 ception, and it is to be hoped it vidll rest 

 there. It has the habit and foliage of the 

 Silver Firs {Abies), and the male flowers 

 resemble those of the Spruce Firs {Picea). 

 The drooping cones ripen the first year, 

 and have persistent scales. Seeds winged, 

 with 5-7 three-sided seed-leaves when 

 they have germinated. 



Culture and Propagation. — The 

 Douglas Fir, although perfectly hardy, 

 win not thrive in exposed situations 

 swept by bleak and violent winds. In 

 warm and favourable situations it grows 

 rapidly, and if not crowded with other 

 trees will develop into a beautiful and 

 symmetrical tree. The easiest and best 

 way to increase the Douglas Fir is by 

 means of seeds sown as soon as ripe in 

 cold frames in rich sandy soU. The seeds 

 should be sown thinlj', and when the 

 young plants are 1 or 2 years old they 

 may be transplanted to a warm and 

 sheltered border. At Dropmore gardens, 

 Bucks, there is a magnificent specimen 

 70 years old and over 120 ft. high. 

 Some years ago several of its branches 

 were broken down by heavy snow- 

 storms, but it stiU continues to make 

 fine growths, although the leading shoot 

 being now too high to obtain much shelter 

 suffers somewhat from cold winds. The 

 Dropmore tree is closely followed by one 

 in Lord Annesley's gardens, which a few 

 years ago was over 100 ft. high, and 



