Some teatuees of interest in the oeder of conifers. 17 



period ? Again, considering the distressing failure of the Larch 

 in many situations owing to the attacks of a fungus, carefully 

 studied of late by Mr. John Carruthers, what have we among 

 the new-comers that we may fairly look forward to with con- 

 fidence as substitutes for it ? I venture to think we have 

 several, and I would hope that some of those present may favour 

 us with their opinion on the prospects of such trees as e.g. 

 Lobb's noble Cypress {Thuya gigantea), the Lawson Cypress, 

 the Redwood [Taxodium semi^ervirens), the Nootka Cypress 

 {Thuyopsis horealis), the Abies hracliyphylla, and some others 

 of Japanese origin. At one time I should have been disposed to 

 have included the stately Nordmann Fir {Abies Nordmaimiana) , 

 but, alas ! it falls too ready a prey to the attack of a woolly aphis 

 allied to that which, under the name of American blight, attacks 

 our Apple-trees. In any case, it is to be feared that many of 

 the Conifers, so handsome in their youth, are too precocious in 

 this climate, and attain their full span of life much sooner than 

 in their native country. Many of the Pines especially are already 

 showing signs of decrepitude, which render them unsightly and 

 sadly interfere with their value as timber trees. 



Did time and space permit, I would fain say something more 

 about the botanists by whose patient labour and piecing together 

 of imperfect and discontinuous evidence the confusion that once 

 reigned is becoming gradually cleared and the nomenclature 

 more settled. The Mexican species are still imperfectly known, 

 but the Californian and Japanese species are now much better 

 defined than formerly, whilst, thanks in a great degree to Dr. 

 Henry, much of the mystery investing the Chinese species has 

 been dissipated, and Henry and the Abbes Delavay and David have 

 enabled us to clear up the history of certain very interesting 

 species previously only known as coming from Chinese gardens, 

 and the structure and affinities of which were previously im- 

 perfectly knovvm. 



Such are " some of the features of interest " connected with 

 this family. I might have dwelt on them at much greater length, 

 I might have introduced a much larger number and a greater 

 variety of illustrations, but there are limits even to your patience, 

 and I must no longer interpose between you and the gentlemen 

 who have undertaken to address you. 



I shall have failed if I do not leave with you the impression 



c 



