258 



FLORA AND SYLVA. 



established one, and a very good one, but in the 

 case of Magnolias and various of the more beau- 

 tiful shrubs it is unnecessary. Sometimes in 

 Paris one may see a Lilac in beautiful flower 

 on a cold spring morning, in the window or 

 passage of a small house, and on the Continent 

 such plants are often grown for flowering in 

 pots. Cultivation in pots tends to favour the 

 blooming habit at the expense of size, which 

 in this case we do not seek. A stock of such 

 trees is to be had from nurserymen, but in many 

 ways we may do a good deal ourselves to put 

 this idea into practice. For example, in a group 

 of shrubs grown in the open air we might have 

 a few plants in wire cases or baskets, which 

 could be shifted into vases just before flowering- 

 time. Transference to a cool room or house 

 and flowering therein would not in the least 

 weaken them, and after flowering they could 

 be put out again to take their place in the usual 

 arrangements. The same plan might be carried 

 out with hardy flowers. For instance, last De- 

 cember I noticed a number of Primroses strug- 

 gling to flower in a moist wood, and taking 

 them up I put them into flat basins with a few 

 flakes of moss around them, gave them one 

 gentle watering and put them in a cool win- 

 dow facing east. Months before the Primroses 

 flowered in the open air these little dishes were 

 beautiful. Many shrubs that are cut about by 

 frost and storm are quite as hardy as the Prim- 

 rose and treated in a like way would give us as 

 good results. I am quite sure that cultivating 

 in this way our best hardy flowers and shrubs 

 would add immensely to our enjoyment of their 

 beauty. Those whohad forcingand coolhouses 

 to spare could use them, but much could be 

 done without anything of the kind, and whole 

 classes of plants might be grown and enjoyed 

 in this way which outside are failures in our 

 climate, such as the double Peaches, which do 

 very well in pots or vases. Plants that do well 

 in our climate like hardy Azaleas, would be 

 none the less welcome for their flowers, and in 

 this way we could prolong their season. The 

 recent additions of brilliantly coloured groups, 

 the many forms of Pyrus japonica, Daphne, 

 and the wondrous collection of Lilacs raised in 

 France, make such a scheme all the more de- 

 sirable ; and some of our more popular ever- 

 green flowering-shrubs, like Rhododendrons, 

 lend themselves readily to gentle forcing. — R. 



THE GREATER TREES OF THE 

 NORTHERN FOREST: No. 8. THE 

 MONTEREY PINE [Pinus insignis). 



From its tenderness we should not have 

 thought of including this Pine among 

 the greater trees of the northern forest, 

 for, coming as it does from one of the 

 most genial of climates, it perishes in 

 our lowland country in hard winters. 

 On the other hand, in many parts of 

 the south and west, or near our sea- 

 shores, not very unlike those of its na- 

 tive habitat, it grows so well, and is so 

 distinct in colour, that we include it in 

 the interests of our own long-coasted 

 country. Not only in Devon, Dorset, 

 and the south and west, is it remark- 

 able, but occasionally, here and there, 

 we find fine specimens in the country 

 round London, as at Blackdown, or 

 wherever there is a sufficient elevation 

 to keep it out of the way of the valley 

 frosts. In Devon, at Bovey Tracey, Bic- 

 ton, and many other places, its growth 

 is very fine indeed, trees of 50 to 60 feet 

 being not uncommon. It is one of the 

 trees which in our vast shore regions 

 may often be depended upon to form 

 a shelter against the sea winds. In its 

 native forests it grows rather closely to- 

 gether and the trees are clean of stem 

 even up to a height of 60 or more feet; 

 but in our own country, from being so 

 often planted as a specimen standing 

 alone, it is almost bushy in habit, and 

 in this way loses a little in stature, at 

 the same time becoming the more ex- 

 posed to injury in snowstorms and heavy 

 wet winds. The common idea that it is 

 necessary that such trees should have a 

 great open space to stand in is wrong 



