452 
CONIFEBJE. THE CEDRUS. OR CEDAR. 
menced, during the earlier part of October. 
In 1844, when the rainy season was over 
about a fortnight sooner than usual, and when 
the intensity of the sunshine which succeeded 
was unexampled, it was necessary to gather 
the cones three w r eeks sooner than usual, but, 
as a general rule, the first three weeks in 
October may be considered the best time to 
collect them. Considerable uncertainty pre- 
vails in this country as to the best mode of 
transmitting the seeds. Thus, Loudon states 
that the " seeds preserve their vitality when 
imported in the cones, but scarcely otherwise," 
an opinion which is very apt to mislead, for 
it is unquestionable that the cones, of them- 
selves, will not retain the vitality of their 
contents. When cones are imported, they 
should be carefully coated over with resin, 
wax, or any other similar substance, to fill up 
-the small interstices between the scales, and 
carefully tied down with cord so as to pre- 
vent the possibility of their expanding during 
the voyage. It should be remembered that, 
unlike those of the cedar of Lebanon, the 
Deodar cones are deciduous, falling to pieces 
when ripe with a mere touch of the hand ; so 
that if the precaution of tying them should be 
omitted, they will be in pieces when they 
reach this country ; and the probability is, 
that not one in a hundred of the seeds will 
vegetate. Calcutta is the sea-port for the Hima- 
layan district, and a vessel from thence will take 
about six months to reach London. A much 
safer and more expeditious plan is to send the 
seeds in small packages by the Overland Mail; 
and in this case nearly all the seeds will vege- 
tate. When the cones are collected, and the 
seeds extracted, those only which are firm and 
plump should be put up. The best way to 
pack them, is to place the clean seeds, along 
with a quantity of the chaffy wings which 
were detached from them, in a small wax- 
cloth, or oil-cloth bag, which is strong and 
excludes the air. To Calcutta, those small 
packages should be forwarded by Banghy ; 
and as the average length of time occupied by 
the Oriental and Peninsular Steam Company's 
vessels is forty-eight days, January is the last 
month in which transmissions of the seeds 
should be made. All packages should be fully 
addressed to the parties in this country for 
whom they are intended, then forwarded to 
some agent at Calcutta, together with an 
account of the contents and value of each, 
and instructions to the agent to send the 
same overland to his London correspondent, 
who will pay the expenses of customs, 
clearing, &c, and forward them to their 
destination. 
Simply as a timber tree, the Deodar is full 
of promise. Though, as already stated, it is 
held sacred in many districts, it is in others 
extensively used in the construction of build- 
ings. It has been taken from the roofs of 
temples uninjured by the lapse of several cen- 
turies ; and it may be safely asserted that its 
wood is as durable as that of the larch, whilst it 
is much easier to work, and not at all liable to 
twist and warp. A section of a trunk, nearly 
four feet in diameter, was sent by Dr. Wal- 
lich to Mr. Lambert ; and in its polished state 
it has been compared to a slab of brown 
agate. 
-V^ffci* :%?f.JJ s 
The nursery culture of this, plant is exceed- 
ingly simple. The seeds should be sown in 
free loamy soil in April, in beds, in the open 
ground, and covered to the depth of one inch. 
The plants should remain for two years in 
their beds, when they will be fit to transplant 
into nursery lines in the usual way. The pot 
culture of the Deodar is now abandoned in the 
best nurseries ; and, indeed, all the pines are 
now treated like the common Scotch fir and 
larch ; that is, by transplanting them when 
necessary in the open ground. Plants are 
now sold at the following rates : — two years' 
seedlings, 4s. per dozen ; strong plants, one 
and a half to two feet, 45. each ; and those 
from two feet to three feet high, at 20/. per 
100. (1846.) 
