440 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



If there be much variation in the growth of the plants, it can 

 only come from a different manner of propagation, from the quality 

 of the seed, or from the locality where this has been collected. 

 Perhaps seeds from warm localities, either in the area where the 

 species grows wild or from plants cultivated in the south, do not give 

 such healthy or vigorous and tall plants as the seeds ripened in the 

 north are likely to do. The name P. sitchensis, as Bongard had already 

 called the tree in 1833, v/ill thus have to be adopted. In America 

 this name also seems to be the one most common. It w^as only in 

 1837 that Douglas gave the other name to the tree. Endlicher 

 described Picea sitchensis, Bongard, in his " Syn. Conif." p. 123, as a 

 species then not sufficiently know^n. 



That the ground has some influence on the appearance of the 

 plants has been proved in the well-known gardens of the former 

 Court-Marshal and President, Saint Paul Illare, at Fischbach, in 

 Silesia. There, in a mountain climate and in stiff, loamy, and 

 perhaps clayey ground, plants 5 feet high, obtained from Dutch 

 nurseries with light soil, and of the soft-leaved form they called 

 Menziesii, became in about three years' time very stiff-leaved and 

 prickly. 



We have in Denmark in any case two forms — the real species, 

 which grows very tall (as notes following will show), and the beau- 

 tiful light blue, but not tall-growing variety, P. sitchensis speciosa. 

 This variety is probably of little value for profitable planting, but it is 

 very beautiful in gardens and pleasure grounds. It is perhaps the best 

 of all Spruces, and ought, I think, to be planted in very great numbers, 

 if the seeds could be obtained somewhat cheaper. Some of the best 

 plants I have seen are in the plantations of Mynheer Schober at 

 Utrecht. In his grounds at Schavenhorst, in Gelderland, on light soil, 

 he has trees wdth stems of the thickness of 7j feet near the base, and 

 at the height of 3 feet from the ground a circumference of 51 feet. 



From some parts of JSTorthern Germany, particularly from Zoschen 

 (see Gartenjiora for 1892), very unfavourable reports are given ; but 

 such mishaps in culture seem to be rare. 



In some reports it is stated that the branches of the older parts 

 throw out shoots, which is also the case with Finns rigida. Schober 

 has, among others, observed this ; and he also mentions that there 

 is a difierence in growth between the less hardy plants raised from 

 seeds collected in warm coast climates and the hardy plants raised 

 from the seed of trees grown on mountains ; these are the fast- 

 growing, which he calls P. Menziesii. 



P. sitchensis seems to produce cones in nearly all countries in the 

 West of Europe. In Denmark it has done so for several years, but not 

 in such great quantities as P. alba often does. Those first developed 

 do not generally yield germinating seeds. Plants raised from home- 

 grown seeds are still rare. Some imported plants here seem to have 



