FRITILLARIA. 133 



of the great forest spaces. One wishes that growing up in such a moun- 

 tain land he could mature and grow old at last no more rapidly than such a 

 Pine tree does, nor less securely nor less unconquerably could rejoice in mere 

 living. 



Charles Howard Shinn. 



We should be grateful to our tree-loving readers if they would tell us how 



this great Pine does in our country. Clearly it is not well suited for it, or we 



should probably see more of it. Still, any light that can be thrown on the point 



will be useful ; even though for all true planting that a tree should be hardy 



is the first essential. Veitch (" Manual of the Coniferae ") says : — 



" In England Pinus Lambertiana thus far portion to the height of the trunk, the lower 

 shows no indication of rivalling the gigantic ones spreading, those higher up with the ends 

 dimensions of its parent in California. Al- inclined upwards, and the highest ones ascend- 

 though introduced fifty years ago, there are ing, and generally well furnished with foliage 

 few specimens that exceed a height of 50 feet ; distinguished by its bluish-green tint. To 

 its growth in all soils and situations is very ensure a good specimen of this noble tree, it 

 slow, especially during the first years, from the should be planted in a situation sheltered from 

 seed. It is, however, a handsome tree of erect winds blowing from the north, north-east, 

 habit, with branches short and slender in pro- and east." 



FRITILLARIA 



Bulbous perennials, numerous natives mostly 

 of Europe and Asia Minor, many of slight 

 garden value, others very precious from that 

 point of view, such as the Crown Imperial 

 and F. recurva, but most have dull-tinted 

 flowers. The Crown Imperial is a fine plant 

 for naturalizing, and, being vigorous, is able 

 to take care of itself in the wild garden. 

 The Snake's-head and others, like F. latifolia, 

 pyrenaica, together with the choicer kinds, 

 are fitted for grassy places, usually in a free 

 soil. They may all be readily increased by off- 

 sets from the old bulbs, which should be lifted 

 every three or four years and planted in fresh 

 soil ; we mean the kinds in beds or borders — 

 those naturalized in grass may be let alone for 

 many years. 



Comparing them with Lilies, many of the 

 kinds of Fritillaria are hardly worth growing, 

 but, being with few exceptions amenable to 

 culture, some are most valuable and welcome 

 in spring. Take, for instance, the common 

 British sort, how effective it is grown on 

 lawns and meadows, whether it has been at 



(FRITILLARY) * 



first carefully planted or wild, as on some of the 

 meadows of the Midlands. By intercrossing 

 and selection of the northern F. meleagris and 

 the southern broad-leaved kind, F. latifolia, 

 a great number of interesting sorts have been 

 raised, many of them of peculiar beauty. Un- 

 fortunately they do not thrive so well in heavy 

 soil, and are therefore not so well known ; 

 but this is certain, were the same efforts used 

 in hybridising the many types of Fritillarias 

 as is done in the Narcissi, we might soon have 

 many hardy, robust, and more distinctly showy 

 kinds of Fritillaria. They are nearly all, as 

 far as the Old World kinds are concerned, in- 

 digenous to the south and east; on the bor- 

 ders of the Mediterranean Sea there are the 

 pretty Maritime Alps species F. Moggridgei 

 and F. Burnati, the former recurring, but in 

 a more modified form, in the Syrian F. aurea, 

 and on the Spanish Pyrenees is the tall F. 

 pyrenaica, as well as the pretty lutea, probably 

 a natural cross. In Algeria is the interesting 

 F. oranensis, not differing very much from the 

 Dalmatian F. messanensis and a number of 



* With coloured plate from a drawing by H. G. Moon, at Warley Place, 



