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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



in which it grows in a state of nature. To this characteristic, 

 probably, may be ascribed much of the vexatious confusion 

 which has arisen in regard to the identity of this and several 

 other perfectly distinct Conifers. This species was introduced 

 from its southern habitat, and widely distributed in Britain in 

 the fifties," and onwards, as the ''Abies amabilis of Douglas," 

 and to this day it is known in many places only by that erroneous 

 appellation. It is well known that trees over 10 ft. high of 

 Douglas's Abies amabilis (Lindley) are extremely rare in Britain. 

 In collecting my statistics, however, I have had a large number 

 of specimens of "Abies amabilis'' returned between 30 and 

 70 ft. in height, most of which I have found, on examining 

 samples of them, to be ^. magnifica ; the remainder including 

 such diverse species as A. Albertiana, A.concolor, A.grandis, A. 

 nobilis, A. Nordmanniana, A. pectinata, and A. Webbiana, but 

 not a single specimen of the true A. amahilis among them all. 

 In Scotland, Abies magnifica thrives well at The Cairnies — the 

 finest tree there, and the finest recorded, being 50 ft. high 

 with a girth of 3 ft. G in. ; and at Durris it is 45 ft. high and 

 4 ft. 2 in. in girth. In England the best tree recorded is at 

 Eevesby, 40 ft. high and 5 ft. in girth. It does well in Ireland, 

 and specimens are growing at Abbey leix 40 ft. high and 4 ft. 

 4 in. in girth ; at Shane's Castle, 35 ft. 10 in. high and 3 ft. 

 2 in. in girth ; and at Powerscourt, 35 ft. high and 4 ft. m girth. 

 It is one of the very hardiest of the Firs, and is seldom affected 

 by spring frost ; and the timber being straight, clean-grained, 

 and of good quality, it will no doubt be a useful forest tree. 



Abies Mefiziesii (Menzies' Spruce) — or, as it is now called 

 by botanists, Picea sitchensis — is still another of the giants 

 of the forests of North-west America, w^hich in suitable soils 

 of a moist, cool nature has made remarkable progress in 

 Britain, particularly in Scotland, and in some parts of Ireland, 

 for which its seems specially well adapted. It was introduced 

 by Douglas in 1831, and found its way over the country along 

 with the Douglas Fir, but it has never become so popular as that 

 species, although it will grow and thrive well in soils and situa- 

 tions where the Douglas Fir grows with much less vigour, if it 

 thrives at all. The finest tree recorded in Scotland grows at 

 Castle Menzies, and is 4G years old ; 96 ft. G in. high and 11 ft. 

 in girth, as accurately measured a few days ago for this Con- 



