PINETUM DANICUM. 



463 



sold to the Duke of Bedford for twenty-five guineas. Two of those 

 sent to the Exeter nursery were sold to the Rev. Theodore Williams, 

 of Hendon Rectory, for about the same sum each ; and the third was 

 retained as a stock plant to propagate from. 



A fine tree, growing upwards of 60 feet high, with a trunk 9 or 

 10 feet in circumference, and a spreading head. Timber very hard 

 and durable. It is called the White Cedar by the Greeks. 



This handsome Fir is well adapted for general use in our country, 

 and, whether planted singly on the lawn, or mixed with others in the 

 woodland, is at all times a pleasing object and worthy the attention of 

 planters. Unfortunately, in some districts, and especially when 

 planted in unsuitable situations, young trees are apt to suffer from 

 late spring frosts. That, however, should be no detriment to its 

 extended use, as, by a proper selection of soils and sites, success in the 

 cultivation of this tree is not difficult. A stiffish soil, such as a good 

 clayey loam, thoroughly drained, and a northern or western aspect, 

 will be found most suitable, as these considerably retard early growth, 

 the great evil to which the tree is susceptible in our clime. 



As an ornamental Conifer this is of not less than second-rate im- 

 portance, the long and lithe branches being well clothed with dark 

 olive-green foliage, while the whole contour of the tree is remarkably 

 pleasing. The timber of home-grown trees, which I have used experi- 

 mentally for several purposes, appears to be good and durable, but 

 sufficient time has not elapsed since the experiments were made to 

 speak v/ith certainty ; so far, however, they are satisfactory, and tend 

 to prove that the wood, when of mature age, will bo of value for many 

 outdoor purposes. According to General Sir Charles Napier, the 

 timber produced in its native wilds is of excellent quality ; and he 

 informs us that, in pulling down some houses which had been built 

 from a hundred and fifty to three hundred years before, the wood 

 from the Black Forest (on the Black Mountain, Cephalonia) was 

 found as hard as oak, and perfectly sound. In the seventeenth 

 century wood was supplied from this forest for the whole of the Ionian 

 group of islands, as well as for the arsenal in Corfu. The wood is 

 extremely resinous. Under favourable circumstances, the rate of 

 growth is about 10 inches a year ; but the production of timber is 

 somewhat slow. Three specimens of fifty years' growth, which I 

 measured, were 38 feet each on an average, or about 9 inches annually 

 since they were planted. Introduced from Cephalonia in 1824 

 (Trans. Roy. Scot. Arb. Soc. xii. pt. 2). 



Introduced by the Court gardener, Schmidt, from Athens inta 

 Germany in 1856. 



This species has attained a height of 44 feet and a girth of 

 6 feet, forty years after being planted, in the gardens at Carlsberg, 

 near Copenhagen. One planted in 1864 now measures 28 feet high 

 and 1 foot 10 inches in girth. 



