Value ix the British islands of ixteoduced coxifees. 75 



out Robert Fortune to explore the recently opened-up regions of 

 the Chinese Empire, and from thence were acquired most of the 

 coniferous trees and shrubs indigenous to the then accessible 

 parts of that extensive country. Comparatively few of these 

 have proved hardy, or sufficiently so to be valuable for cultiva- 

 tion in this country, and it was not till he visited Japan in 1860 

 that he was the means of introducing many rare and beautiful 

 varieties of hardy Conifers which now occupy prominent positions 

 in every demesne and garden of any pretension in this country. 

 The last of the great names connected with the search for and 

 the introduction to Britain of useful and beautiful Conifers which 

 space will permit me to mention is that of John Gould Veitch, 

 an enthusiastic and energetic member of a well-known firm of 

 enterprising nurserymen who have done more than most people 

 in their day to introduce hardy Conifers from all the known 

 parts of the earth, and to encourage a taste for their cultivation 

 in Britain. Mr. Yeitch arrived in Japan in 1860, soon after that 

 country was opened to Western nations, and by his indefatigable 

 perseverance, tact, and skill was enabled to collect and transmit 

 home many rare and beautiful Conifers, some of which were 

 entirely new to this country, and even to science. Although a 

 generation has not yet elapsed since these extremely useful and 

 ornamental trees found a place in our gardens and woodlands, 

 their refreshing appearance and healthy progress give promise of 

 enduring beauty in our ornamental grounds, as well as of per- 

 manent value in our woodlands, in the ages to come. 



In estimating the value of exotic Conifers, my scope has 

 been judiciously limited by the Secretary of the Society to those 

 which have been introduced to the British Islands during the 

 past hundred years, more or less, for the satisfactory reason that 

 the value of previous introductions is perfectly well known, 

 and their merits fully appreciated. This limit excludes such 

 valuable exotics as the Larch {Larix europcEa), the Norway Spruce 

 (Ahies excelsa), and the Silver Fir {Ahies loectinata), as well as 

 several fine ornamental coniferous trees and shrubs, of which 

 the Cedar of Lebanon {Cedrus Lihani) is a notable example. 

 The two main points to be kept in view in determining the 

 merits and weighing the value of the newer Conifers in Britain 

 are, first, their economic value as timber-producing trees, adapted 

 for forest planting, for commercial and industrial purposes ; and 



