JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
526 
[ June 30, 1881. 
Abies nobilis at Higbnam Court, 60 feet high, is also shown, with 
a grand cone of this beautiful Fir. Cedrus Deodara at Dropmore, 
64 feet high, and a varietal form at Tortworth, 41 feet high, are 
figured. The Dropmore example is probably one of the specimens 
that were raised from seed sent thereby the introducer, the Hon. W. 
Leslie Melville, about 1831. A letter is before us from the brother 
of this gentleman, the Hon. Alexander Leslie Melville, of Branston 
Hall, Lincoln, under date June 11th, 1881, which states that “The 
first Deodar seed that vegetated in England was brought by my 
brother in his waistcoat pocket. The plants were raised at Drop¬ 
more. In 1854 my brother sent an artist to make a drawing 
of them, which I now possess. The trees seem to thrive well 
about London and to the south of it. A severe winter has killed 
most of them in the north, where the frost has been intense. In 
1859-60 they were killed at Woodhall Park, Herts. Some later 
plants than those at Dropmore are thriving well at Melville 
House, Fife, N.B.” These trees, which we have seen, are, how¬ 
ever, old and divested of their lower branches. Much interesting 
matter is given relative to this beautiful Cedar, but its liability to 
be destroyed during severe winters, as stated by Mr. Melville, is 
omitted, doubtless by inadvertence ; for it is one of the merits 
of the volume that the drawbacks of many of the species are 
described as freely as their merits are extolled. This is plainly 
manifest in the notes referring to the Mexican Pines that were 
introduced by Hartweg, for of one of the commonest of them— 
P. Montezumm—it is stated “ it is not hardy ; ” but in the collection 
above referred to near Peterborough a handsome specimen 25 feet 
high has passed the late severe winters, when the frost approached 
zero, without having received the slightest injury. Its fine varie¬ 
tal form, P. macrophylla, is very much larger in the same collec¬ 
tion. This, too, has passed scatheless, while the Wellingtonias 
around it were much browned and Abies bracteata injured. The 
leaves of A. microphylla are fully a foot long and droop grace¬ 
fully, those of the species assuming an inourved upward position, 
and are stouter in texture and shorter. This evidence as to the 
hardiness of these imposing Mexican Pines will not be without 
interest. 
The chapter on the Wellingtonia is elaborate, but little or 
nothing is stated as to the uses of the wood, a matter of some 
importance, seeing that thousands of specimens in this country have 
attained the dimensions of timber trees. On the subject of utility 
we are able to state that from a collection of upwards of three 
hundred specimens, some of them between 50 and 60 feet high, 
large trees have been felled, the trunks exceeding 4 feet in 
diameter, the wood having been applied to various purposes, and 
has proved practically speaking worthless. 
The chapter on Araucarias includes an illustration of the 
splendid Dropmore specimen, the present height of which is 
61 feet, and the tree is perfectly furnished. In the deciduous 
Cypress section is an illustration of the remarkable old specimen 
of Taxodium distichumat Syon House, 90 feet high, with “knees ” 
or protuberances from the roots. It is stated that “no cause has 
been assigned for the existence of these ‘ knees,’ but they are 
made use of by the Negroes of the Southern States for bee hives.” 
An example of Cryptomeria elegans, 20 feet high, at Linton Park, 
and one of C. Lobbi, 46 feet high, at Dropmore, are represented. 
There is also shown a group of Japanese Conifers (Retinosporas) at 
Linton Park, also a fine example of Thuia gigantea in the same col¬ 
lection 50 feet high ; and a well-finished example of the beautiful 
Thuiopsis dolabrata in Lord Brownlow’s collection at Ashridge. 
The height of this is not named—a small but rather important 
omission, as, judged by the relative height of the preceding figure, 
the specimen in question would be about 40 feet high, which 
cannot be the case. The chapter on the Incense Cedars (Libo- 
cedrus) is necessarily short, those on the Junipers and Taxads 
being very complete. In the section devoted to the Fetid Yews 
it is stated that “ Torreyas do not thrive well in Great Britain, but 
in their scientific aspect they possess a deep interest.” It is un¬ 
fortunate that they do not usually succeed in English gardens, as 
a fruiting specimen of the Californian Nutmeg (T. myristica), 
from which seedlings have been raised, is a beautiful ornament 
in the garden at Northamptonshire, which has been previously 
referred to. 
The third part of the work treats on the various purposes for 
which the Coniform are planted, and imparts information of great 
practical value. Selected lists are given of kinds suitable for 
planting in parks, pleasure grounds, avenues, also for evergreen 
hedges, for belts and screens, the conservatory and winter garden, 
as memorial trees, and for cemeteries and burial grounds ; the 
concluding chapters being devoted to Coniferous trees valuable for 
their timber, and a reference to the collection of cones in the 
museum in the Chelsea nursery, which is open to the inspection 
of visitors. 
As will be gathered from this notice the work is a comprehen¬ 
sive one—essentially practical to be of substantial utility, and 
sufficiently technical to be educationally instructive. Considering 
its magnitude and complexity, the subject has been treated in a 
manner for which Messrs. Yeitch deserve warm commendation. 
The volume is excellently printed, and should be possessed 
by all who are interested in the Coniferm, on which it wdll 
rank as a standard work, and will no doubt be included in 
public as well as private libraries. For the next edition, 
however, we would suggest a much more copious index, which 
would greatly enhance the value of the book as a work of 
reference. 
TUBEROUS BEGONIAS AT FOREST HILL. 
Messrs. John Laing & Co. have justly earned an almost 
world-wide fame for their Tuberous Begonias, as the experience 
and careful attention brought to bear upon the crossing of these 
popular plants have resulted in the production of many varieties 
of unrivalled beauty ; indeed, a very large proportion of the best 
forms grown in English gardens at the present time have either 
being raised at the Forest Hill nurseries or sent into commerce 
from that emporium. Consequently a visit to the establishment 
is invested with more than ordinary interest to all lovers of this 
attractive section of the genus Begonia, and to obtain an ade¬ 
quate idea of the range of variation in the size, form, and colours 
distinguishing the flowers, together with a conception of the enor¬ 
mous demand now existing for such plants, a better time than the 
past or present week could scarcely be chosen for the purpose. 
Several large glass structures are devoted to the plants, but the 
majority of the large specimens representing the best single varie¬ 
ties are arranged in a span-roof house nearly 100 feet long. The 
effect produced by the abundant brilliant scarlet, soft rose, deli¬ 
cate yellow, or pure white flowers, is not only most striking, but 
is probably unequalled as regards the general excellence of the 
varieties and plants. Annually a great number of seedlings are 
raised by carefully crossing all the finest forms, in every case wflth 
some distinct object in view, to improve the form or size, or ob¬ 
tain a novel shade of colour. Amongst the diversities thus secured 
there are necessarily many that surpass in some point varieties 
previously raised, and from these the most distinctly marked are 
selected for naming and distributing. That a most rigid exclusion 
is practised may be gathered from the fact that many thousands 
of seedlings are raised to produce comparatively few varieties con¬ 
sidered sufficiently meritorious to be recommended to the public, 
and in one portion of the nursery nearly ten thousand seedlings 
are planted out for trial during the present season. 
To enumerate all the really handsome varieties would require 
considerable space, and would indeed be unnecessary ; but some 
of the novelties and a few of the most remarkable of the older 
forms may be advantageously mentioned to indicate the predomi¬ 
nating characters of the principal types, commencing with the 
single-flowered section. Perhaps the finest variety that has yet 
been seen in respect to size, regularity of form, and brilliancy of 
colour is a seedling recently raised, and which on the day of our 
visit was entered in the list of named novelties as Consul Dar¬ 
lington. The flowers in several instances were 4^ by 5 inches in 
diameter, each of the larger pair of petals being neatly rounded, 
of great substance, and 2^ inches across. The colour is a bright 
vermilion, quite dazzling when seen in the sunlight, and the plant 
being dwarf in habit and very floriferous renders the variety 
one of great excellence. Another beautiful novelty is Annie 
Laing, which has already been exhibited on several occasions, and 
received the honorary distinction of certificates. It has flowers 
of exact symmetrical form, of good substance, the petals round 
and bright rose pink, one of the most distinct shades that have 
yet been produced. Mrs. Robert Whyte has also been accorded 
similar honours to the above this year; it has peculiarly rich, 
rosy crimson-coloured flowers very abundantly produced, and the 
compact habit of the plant is moreover an additional recommenda¬ 
tion. Mrs. Highgate is in some respects suggestive of the well- 
known and highly valued variety Lady Hume Campbell, but 
there is more of a salmon tinge in the well-formed flowers, and 
these are borne in great profusion. Two new varieties of the 
Davisi type are Commodore Foot, which bears attractive rich 
crimson flowers, similar to those of its principal parent but 
larger and brighter in colour; and General Mite, with orange- 
tinted blooms. Both are dwarf, compact, and free in flowering, 
and would be useful for employing as a marginal line to larger- 
growing varieties, or in positions where the others would be 
unsuitable. Among the finest of the older forms Lady Hume 
Campbell, already referred to, well holds its position as a flori¬ 
ferous variety of excellent habit, and scarcely surpassed in the 
