CHAP. III. 



CONTINENT OF EUROPE, 



157 



The trees and shrubs which are to be found in the neighbourhood of St. 

 Petersburg, and on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, are as follows : — 

 Pin us syl vestris, ^'bies excelsa, ^etula alba, J'lnus glutinosa, Populus 

 treraula, different iSalices, Juniperus communis, *S'6rbus aucuparia, 6'erasus 

 Padus, .ffhamnus Frangula, Pilia europEe^a, Pyrus Mklus, A^cer campestre. 



The introduction of foreign trees and shrubs into Russia may date from the 

 commencement of the reign of Catharine, or about the year 1768; when, from 

 reading Der Hausvater, that empress determined on having the gardens at 

 Tzarsco Celo laid out in the Enghsh manner. From the severity of the 

 climate, not many foreign species can endure the winters, either there or any 

 where else, in the neighbourhood of Petersburg; nevertheless, with laudable 

 ambition, many species have been tried at all the imperial residences. The 

 trees and shrubs generally used for planting the Petersburg gardens are of the 

 following genera : — 



^quifolia^ceaa. iNex. 

 Leguniindscc. Cytisus, Cara- 



gana, Genfsta, 5partium. 

 "Rosiicece. iJbsa. 



§ PotenUl/ece. PotenUlIa. 



\ Spira&ce, Spirse'a, 

 KjnygdalecB. yfmygdalus. 



Pomdcees. Crats'gus, Mespi. 



lus, Pyrus. 

 AraikicefB. Hedera. 

 Caprifolidceis. Sambilcus, Lo- 



m'cera, Fiburnum. 

 Cdriiete. C<5rnus. 

 Okdcece. Syringa. 



SolAneee. i^cium. 

 Yiceagnece. Jfippophae, 

 E?*pAor6ia.ce£B. ^xus. 

 Cupuliferce. i^agus. 

 AmentacecB. Corylus. 

 TaxHcetE. TTaxus. 

 Conlferce. ;Pinus.J 



The Pinus sylvestris and the A^hies excelsa attain a considerable size in 

 the elevated light soil at a few miles' distance from St. Petersburg ; though 

 in the bog by which that city is surrounded their size is but small. In the 

 Taurida Palace gardens, in the city, the t^'lmus campestris has attained the 

 height of 49 ft. ; the Cerasus Padus, and the 5'6rbus aucuparia, of 21 ft. ; the 

 Praxinus excelsior, of 35 ft. ; the -Salix fragilis, 49 ft. ; the ^'Inus glutinosa, 

 56 ft, ; the Petula alba, 68 ft. ; the Xarix europa'a, 63 ft. ; and, what appears 

 to us remarkable, the Que'rcus rubra, also 63 ft. In the summer gardens of 

 St. Petersburg, planted during the reign of Peter the Great, there is a lime 

 tree 79ft. high; and a common elm and Norway maple, each 70ft. high. 



On the shore of the Gulf of Finland, opposite the village of Strelna, the 

 small island of Sosnovy Kosha is entirely occupied with tall Scotch pines, 

 from 3 ft. to 5 ft. apart; among which, one has attained the height of 77 ft., 

 and another of 65 ft. In the imperial garden at Strelna is a common Eng- 

 lish elm, 60 ft. high,, the branches of which cover a space of 56 ft. The 

 measurements of a number of trees, grown on the estate of Madame Con- 

 stantinofF, _ at Rudets, near St. Petersburg, have been sent us by one of 

 the imperial gardeners, with the following introductory remarks: — "The 

 woods consist principally of pines and firs; the surface of the ground is covered 

 with long moss (Hjpnum); the surface stratum is black earth, 6 in. deep ; 

 laelow this a stratum, 4 in. deep, of sand mixed with earth ; and under this 

 is clay. The greater number of the trees consists of Pinus sylvestris, A'hies 

 excelsa, and Petula. The pines grow with clean straight stems, of from 

 50 ft. to 70 ft. high, to where the branches commence, which extend from 

 14 ft. to 20 ft. more, making the whole height of the tree nearly 100 ft. No 

 care is taken of the woods ; the young trees spring from self-sown seed ; and 

 the strong plants are suffered to overshadow and destroy the weak ones, till 

 the former at last become large trees. Where the Pinus sylvestris grows 

 singly, and has plenty of space to spread its branches, the lower arras are not 

 rubbed off or killed when young, as they are where the tree grows in a thick 

 wood, but they form immense limbs ; the consequence is, that the trunk of 

 the tree becomes full of large knots, and, though it is more in diameter, 

 it is less in height; the timber, of course, being of little use but as fuel." 

 Some of the largest specimens of Pinus sylvestris in these woods, supposed of 

 213 years' growth, measured in height 99 ft. and 85 ft. ; others, 65 years old, 

 78 ft. and 64 ft.; one, supposed to be 108 vears old, 106 ft.; one, 95 years 

 old, 85 ft.; 120 years old, 99ft.; 232 years'old, 113ft.; this last tree had a 

 trunk 31 in. in diameter at 1 ft. from the ground ; the diameters of the others 

 varied from 26 in. to 12 in., 8in., and even 7 in. Petula alba, in the same wood, 

 at 40 years old, was 71 ft. high; at 85 years, 85ft. ; and at 75 years, 70ft. and 



*N 4 



