PINETUM BRITANNICUM. 
18 
objection to ufing it as a nurfe. The wind caufes it to lafh off its buds, and ends by killing it. It will 
therefore neither do for a nurfe nor anything elfe in very expofed fituations. It will hand long tradts of 
heavy rain, or of fnow and cold, for to all thefe it is accuftomed in its native country; but to violent and 
long-continued winds it is not: the deep, almoft ftifling, fheltered valleys and ravines in which it is found 
are very different from the bare fweep of a Scottifh hill-fide or Yorkfihire muir. If protected from wind, 
there is nothing in the climate of this country to difqualify it for the duties of a nurfe. The Himmalayan 
climate is very variable from March to June, and very fine and dry from the middle of June to the middle 
of September. The winter is very cold, and the mountains are for a confiderable time covered with fnow, 
fo that, as regards temperature, there is as much variety there as in our own climate. 
Culture .—As may be inferred from what has juft been faid regarding the climate and phyfical 
conditions of its native habitat, the Deodar generally thrives well in this country. It is certainly not fo 
hardy or fo well adapted to our climate as the Scotch Pine or Norway Spruce; but notwithftanding this, it 
thrives too well to deter any one from planting it for fear of lofs. The winter of 1860-61 was the moft fevere 
that has happened fince its introduction. It was a winter fuch as had fcarcely any parallel for feverity in 
the memory of man, and unlefs fome general change of climate fhould take place, it may be looked upon as 
exceedingly improbable that any cold of greater intenfity fhould again vifit us. The effect of that winter 
upon the Deodar may therefore be taken as a fafe guide in judging of its fuitablenefs for our climate; what 
that effect was we are, as already mentioned, enabled, through the kindnefs of Mr Palmer, to ftate with 
accuracy. 
Mr Palmers record of obfervations fhews that the Deodar is by no means fo hardy a tree as the Larch, 
and alfo that it is the leaft hardy of any of the Cedars. There is no inftance of any of the Larches reported 
to him having been injured by the cold in i860; while out of Deodars growing at 211 places in Great 
Britain and Ireland, plants were killed at 55, and were uninjured only at 80, having been more or lefs 
injured at the remaining 107, a percentage of frailty much greater than we fhould have anticipated. 
The Cedar of Lebanon and the Cedrus A tlantica proved more hardy, and about equal between them- 
felves. The following fummary will fhew the actual refults of Mr Palmer’s report on all three:— 
Total places 
reported on. 
Not injured. 
Injured. 
Much injured. 
Killed. 
Proportion of killed 
and much injured. 
Cedrus Deodara, 
21 I 
80 
50 
26 
55 
1 in 2\ 
„ Libani, 
8l 
51 
19 
6 
5 
1 in 7 
,, Atlantica, 
74 
48 
19 
2 
5 
1 in io^- 
It may be interefting to notice in what proportions the three different parts of the kingdom suffered. 
It was as follows :— 
Scotland, 
England, 
Total places 
reported on. 
Not injured. 
Injured. 
Much injured. 
Killed. 
Proportion of killed 
and much injured. 
64 
19 
26 
14 
5 
1 in 31 
142 
6l 
24 
13 
50 
1 in 2\ 
Ireland, 
4 3 1 
In Scotland, then, about one-third of the plants reported on efcaped without injury, and about one- 
thirteenth were killed. In England, nearly a half efcaped uninjured, while about one-third were killed ; but 
the proportion of injured plants was twice as great in Scotland as in England. In Ireland the number of 
plants reported on is too few for generalifation. The average of cold alfo in Scotland was confiderably 
greater. Why in Scotland, where the cold was greater, and the climate lefs genial, it fhould happen that 
a much fmaller proportion (not a fourth of the number) of plants were killed, while more were injured and 
fewer entirely efcaped, is a queftion which probably may in a great meafure depend on the age and 
individual circumftances in which each plant was growing. Ceteris paribus , it appears that the younger the 
plant, the worfe it has fared. In i860, the fine avenues in front of Chatsworth were killed, and almoft, if 
not 
