ON CONIFERS. 



321 



the fever, which has raged in the palace and the gardener's 

 cottage, which has tempted rich and poor into outdoor employ- 

 ment, and last but not least, which has forced men like Douglas, 

 Jeffrey, Lobb, and others, to face danger and death for our 

 benefit and pleasure. In this respect, all lovers of the beautiful 

 and the elevating are at one. The Pinks and Carnations nestling 

 in our gardens, the Orchids hanging in houses in which delicate 

 ladies can live and breathe, and the Conifers now so plentifully 

 scattered over Britain, form a maze of health-giving wealth, for 

 which all must be thankful. 



Although a few species of Conifers, indigenous to temperate 

 Europe, and the well-known Cedar of Lebanon, introduced in 

 1683, were moderately planted by our forefathers, and some 

 noble Pineta were commenced early in the present century, the 

 rage, the rush, the scathing fever did not set in until about fifty 

 years ago. The first of these collections, formed by Messrs. 

 Loddiges at Hackney, has given way to bricks and mortar, but 

 those established by the Duke of Bedford, the Duke of Devon- 

 shire, Lady Rolle, and many others still remain. Many of the 

 New World Conifers, as well as the Cedars, and our hoary 

 friend, the Scotch Fir, are very fine indeed, and it is to these we 

 are indebted for the general love of planting, which is softening 

 our climate, and giving so much pleasure to the masses. In 

 my own time, I will not mention dates, I was engaged in a 

 Pinetum upon the coal measures, the best of all soils for 

 Japanese Conifers, when a very dear friend said, " Give your 

 attention to this branch, for soon all the landowners in the 

 kingdom will be planting." His words were soon verified, for a 

 few years later, I was selected by the late Mr. James Veitch to 

 assist the late Earl Somers in carrying out work which he had 

 commenced in 1840. The soil at Eastnor, including calcareous 

 loam, broken rock, and igneous detritus from the Malvern Hills, 

 is admirably adapted for the growth of Conifers generally ; whilst 

 the broken ground offers varying sites and aspects, ranging from 

 200 to 600 feet above sea-level. Under these circumstances, 

 great facilities for gaining practical experience were placed 

 before me. 



I had hoped to have been able to illustrate my remarks by 

 numerous specimens of the fruit or cones so expressive of the 

 tribe ; but unfortunately, as in our fruit gardens and orchards, 



p 2 



