THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
273 
' July 20. 
your pit when done flowering. Roots of the large 
scarlet Lobelia will keep admirably in such a place, and 
be turned into the pit in spring to grow. For the pit, 
the following will be easily kept: All kinds of old 
plants of scarlet Geraniums, young and old Penste- 
mons, Fuchsias, Phloxes (hardier kinds), Hydrangeas, 
Alstroemerias, Salvias (young or old plants, red or blue), 
Tropoeolums (the tuberous kinds), cuttings of succulent 
ones, double or otherwise (best in the house), and, 
though last not least, the whole of the Calceolaria tribe. 
Large, blooming herbaceous kinds must have extra care 
to save them from damp; but a very dry place is also 
their ruin. All the shrubby kinds will take no harm, 
rather the reverse, if the dew stands on them the whole 
winter. Provided frost is shut out, they can hardly be 
kept too airy, cool, and moist for the winter season. 
Coddling is their ruin. I mean nice healthy young 
plants, not old ricketers. I shall now conclude with a 
few extra remarks :— 
1. In a pit with a good depth of light soil, most of 
the things enumerated will do better pricked out than 
when kept in pots. For instance, young calceolarias 
might at first have two-and-a-half to three inches square. 
Old geraniums and fuchsias may be set in quite thickly 
. by the heels, but, of course, must be thinned in spring. 
Plants, young and old, are thus kept in a more equal 
state, as respects temperature and moisture, than when 
in pots. Young plants must, however, be within a foot 
of the glass. 
2. Many plants recommended to be kept in the room 
spoken of, or in a house where heat can be given, will 
do much better if planted out in such a pit. For in¬ 
stance, if not carefully watered, verbenas will get both 
fly and mildew. The healthiest ever I had were pricked 
out in a border, and lights laid over them; at cuttiug- 
getting-time in spring, these plants were 100 per cent, 
superior to those coddled in pots. To prick out these, 
however, they must be propagated about September, 
instead of the 1st of August, as otherwise they would 
get too large before winter, and take too much room. 
3. Such convenience of a pit will enable you to dis¬ 
pense altogether with keeping many things as slock 
over the winter. For instance, there is all the pretty, 
dwarf, blue and white-flowering Lobelias, the best of 
which I presume to be the Erinus maxima. Now, there 
is a little trouble with all these, as they have got so 
much of the annual character about them. They seed 
freely; and, unless in rare varieties, the seed comes 
true to its variety. Whatever the number of the lights 
of your pit, you may easily, by rough, moveable, wooden 
divisions, make each light a separate pit. Suppose you 
shut off one light; a few barrow-loads of dung will put 
you in possession of a little hotbed, and there you may 
sow your lobelias in March, aud by pricking out, obtain 
them, and many things besides, strong for planting out 
in May, and with less trouble than you could attend to 
! cuttings all the winter through. Such a pit, however 
small, may thus, with management, be made a hot pit 
or a cold pit, a growing pit or a resting pit, a close pit or 
an airy pit, a pit which will be a palace for the healthy 
and an hospital for the sick and diseased. R. Fish. 
CONIFER2E. 
(Continued from page 214.) 
SECTION 2. 
An Alphabetical Catalogue of Species. — This will 
include the average height, habit, and uses, as timber, 
as resin-producing trees, as food, as fuel, and as objects 
of ornament to the lawn or park. 
Abies. —The word Abies is derived from abeo, to rise, 
alluding to the habit of trees which are rising or aspiring. [ 
It is a numerous group, and is distinguished from Pinus I 
by the cones being pendant and more scattered, by the 
leaves being solitary, not so much clustered, and gene¬ 
rally in two rows. The greater part of the species 
thrive best on an elevated site, and will flourish on poor, 
thin soils; but some do well even in low valleys. Many 
are useful as timber; the Abies excelsa, for instance, 
which largely supplies the “ deal” of commerce. 
A. alba (White Spruce Fir).—Native of Canada and 
the most northern parts of America, having been found 
by Dr. Richardson within a few miles of the arctic 
circle; hence it is perfectly hardy. Its average height 
is from forty to fifty feet. It has a pyramidal habit, 
forming a handsome single tree. The wood is light 
and elastic, produces resin in moderate quantity, and 
is excellent as fuel. In cold, bleak situations, where 
almost no other tree will grow, this cold-enduring tree 
may be planted with the best effect as a shelter to more 
tender Conifers, and as an ornament to the grounds. 
A. Brunoniana, syn. dumosa (Bushy Alpine Spruce 
Fir).—Native of the hilly parts of Nepaul. Average 
height, seventy to eighty feet. This is a truly elegant 
species, of a drooping habit, bearing in that respect 
some resemblance to the Hemlock Spruce, but is more 
beautiful than that species, inasmuch as the leaves are 
of a silvery appearance on the under side, contrasting 
beautifully with the dark green on the upper side. 
Being but lately introduced, we are not in possession of 
knowledge as to the uses to which it may be applied, 
but as an ornamental tree there are few that surpass it. 
It has stood the vicissitudes of our climate, at least in 
the southern counties, so far. 
A. Canadensis (Hemlock Spruce Fir, or Canadian 
Pine).—Average height, seventy to eighty feet. This 
beautiful tree is well known aud justly admired in this 
country. Its habit is a graceful drooping tree, and so 
dense is the foliage that the limbs are frequently broken 
by the weight of the snow they retain upon them. Uses: 
As a timber tree the wood is too brittle, but it makes ex¬ 
cellent fuel; and the tanning principle is so strong, that 
the tree is highly valued in its native land for tanning 
leather, though we never knew it tried in this country. 
Its chief use here is to ornament our lawns and planta¬ 
tions, which purpose it answers admirably; but to dis¬ 
play its peculiar beauty it should stand alone; its 
branches will then descend and cover the ground com¬ 
pletely. It is perfectly hardy, though it loves to be 
sheltered from strong hurricanes of wind. 
A. Douglassii (Mr. Douglas’s Spruce Fir).—Native of 
the north-west coast of America; average height, one 
hundred to one hundred and fifty feet. This is un¬ 
doubtedly the most beautiful of all the American Spruce 
Firs. It is named in honour of the late Mr. David 
Douglas, who was for many years collector to the Horti- 
j cultural Society of London. Through his persevering 
labours great numbers of the firs and pines, as well as 
\ other things that are now ornamenting our gardens, were 
introduced. The habit of this most beautiful Conifer is 
upright and spreading; the foliage is of a brilliant 
green, even through winter; thus rendering it a plant 
to be desired wherever there is space to plant it. It 
grows very rapidly, and is perfectly hardy in all parts of 
Great Britain, excepting on the tops of bleak moun- 
1 tains, and the sea coast. As a timber tree it is inva¬ 
luable, the wood being firm, close-grained, and heavy, 
i and not at all inclined to warp. It does not yield much 
; resin, but the branches and spray burn freely. The 
price the plants sell at at present, however, precludes all 
hope of planting it out as a forest-tree. Its chief use, 
then, is as an object of ornament. In our last, we men¬ 
tioned a fine example at Rolleston Hall, in Derbyshire. 
There is also a good example in the grounds of the Lon¬ 
don Horticultural Society, aud several others in various 
parts of the country. 
A. excelsa (Lofty, or Norway, Spruce Fir).—Native 
