229 
CONIFERS AND TAXADS, 
The above Anglicised terms are adopted from Dr. Lindley's recent work, " The 
Vegetable Kingdom ; " they are that author's English expressions for his Natural 
Orders, Pinacece and Taxacece, which include the better known one, Coniferce. The 
trees and shrubs comprising this Order have gradually risen into favour, and now 
occupy a very elevated position in the esteem of those who concern themselves about 
plants and trees, about having features of interest in their pleasure grounds, and the 
beauties of the landscape. Every planting season of late years has brought 
increased proof that this is the case ; hence, if only on these grounds, there is suf- 
ficient reason why we should occupy some space with a notice of the family, and 
furnish useful information respecting its management. There are other inducements 
to do so : the noble character of some of the tribe, the interest attaching to others on 
account of what we learn respecting the dimensions they attain to and position they 
oocupy naturally ; the great usefulness of many ; and, what chiefly brings them within 
our province, the greater or less ornamental character of almost every species ; in some 
the most beautiful slenderness of form and grace of habit prevailing ; a greater num- 
ber are distinguished for compactness and regularity of growth ; others again have 
features of grandeur entirely original ; their colours, too, as if nothing should be 
wanting to complete the catalogue of interesting qualities they possess, are compara- 
tively rich in contrast ; the silvery green, and variegation of white and green, 
opposing itself to the darkest and most gloomy shades of that colour, is an accumu- 
lated amount of peculiarly interesting features which no other class of vegetable 
productions, whose beauty does not consist in their floral organs, can lay claim to the 
possession of, and sufficient to entitle its possessors, as they severally are suitable, 
not only to adorn our flower-gardens and grounds, but to conduct us as avenues to 
mansions, to occupy appropriate positions in our parks, and form our woods. Thus 
much we have written by way of introduction to our subject, and to convey to those 
little acquainted with Conifers, &c, what their properties, as far as our object is 
concerned, are. 
Hitherto little has appeared in this work having reference to the subjects of this 
essay; at page 62 of vol. vii., is an article ("General Treatment of the Genus 
Pinus") consisting principally of instructions for raising Pines from seed, a few 
remarks on the soil and situation they affect, of the most appropriate situations to 
plant them in, &c, in short, all was then said that was necessary at the period, 
when species were raised annually by dozens or scores, that now yearly appear in 
thousands and ten thousands in Nurseries. An evil complained of in the paper 
already mentioned, was one arising out of the practice of inducing seeds of Conifers 
to germinate and spring up. by subjecting them to a high temperature, which not 
only produced a tenderness and delicacy of disposition in plants so raised, but also 
