A GROUP OF THE SWISS PINE 
235 
which fruited recently at Torquay, is also 
exactly like that of the Indian plant. Stauntonia 
is a native of China and Japan and fully as 
vigorous as the Holboellia, old stems of 40 feet 
or more being not uncommon in the East. B. 
A New Hardy Orange. — A recent issue of 
the Revue Horticole tells of another advance 
towards the hardy edible Orange, this time 
from Montauban, where a French gentleman 
has been working to this end. Some years ago 
he crossed a fine Sweet Orange 
tree with the pollen of Citrus 
trifoliata — the Hardy Orange of 
which we gave an account upon 
page 65 of the present volume of 
Flora. The seedlings proved 
variable, some bearing divided 
leaves as in the pollen parent, 
and others broad simple leaves 
more like the Common Orange 
but with winged stems, and all 
more or less armed with reddish 
spines upon the branches and at 
the base of the leaves. One of 
these plants which fruited bore 
fragrant flowers like those of C 
trifoliata but narrower in petal, 
and finely coloured fruits con- 
siderably larger than in that 
kind, in which, though still very 
thick, the skin is of finer texture 
and the pulphas gainedinquan- 
tity if not in quality. As proof 
of the resistance of this newrace 
several plants have endured up- 
wards of 20° of frost without 
injury to leaf or fruit. The 
degree of hardiness diminishes 
as the form approximates to the 
mother-plant, until those that 
come nearest the Sweet Orange show signs of 
delicacy or have perished outright. 
Apart from their economic interest these 
results prove the near relation of the Hardy 
Chinese Orange to the cultivated forms, and 
the folly of those who try to put it in a class 
by itself, for in addition to the ease with which 
the cross was brought about, so far from being 
sterile as are all generic hybrids, these seed- 
lings yield their own seed so freely as to prove 
the close relationship of the parents. 
A GROUP OF THE SWISS PINE 
(P. Cembrd). 
We have often spoken of the gain in effect and 
in growth of grouping the hardy Pines of the 
world in picturesque and natural ways rather 
than on the " specimen " system, which makes 
them branch out too much and never shov/s 
their true forest character. Owing to the per- 
sistent planting of Pines in this way it is diffi- 
cult to get from our pleasure-gardens illustra- 
The Swiss Pine at Home {Enoraved for '■'Flora.") 
tions of the natural grouping that we would 
fain see. We have therefore the greater pleasure 
in showing a natural group of the Swiss Pine, 
engraved for Flora from a photograph sent 
to us by M. Henry Correvon of Geneva. 
As this great tree is fully described in vol. i 
p. 97 of Flora and Sylva, we need not 
refer to it here further than by stating that 
it is best fitted for poor and cold upland 
ground, of which there is so much in our 
islands. 
