September 4. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
413 
a few plants up in autumn, and place them in deep pots. 
Set them in any light, warm place, and they will furnish 
a supply. 
Peas. —The forcing of Peas has rarely been attended 
with the success corresponding with the trouble they 
take; therefore, the amateur had better be satisfied with 
trying to obtain them as early in the season as he can, 
by sowing a few rows of the earliest variety, as the Em¬ 
peror, or others, the middle of November, and again 
about Christmas. Be careful that mice do not attack 
them; and, at the proper time, apply sticks, &c. 
Radishes. —The red and white Turnip will furnish an 
autumn supply; but, for early spring, sow early in Ja¬ 
nuary, and be sure and thin in time, and let them have 
all the air they can, otherwise they get long, crooked 
necks. Keep them near the glass, and cover up from 
the frost. 
Rhubarb. —Old roots, taken up and carried to some 
warm place, produce stalks in a month or so after being 
so placed; but it is better not to have very old roots; 
two-year-old plants are best. Any place, warmed to 50°, 
or upwards, will do. 
Savoys. —The remarks applicable to Brocoli will do 
for this; only, as severe weather is said to injure the one, 
it is said to improve the other; so that the popular be¬ 
lief is, that Savoys are not good until they have a good 
deal of frost. 
Sea-kale. —For the earliest supply, take up a few 
plants, and place them in boxes, or pots, or plant in a 
bed, as the case may be, in heat. But, for what is 
wanted after the New Year, there is no better way than 
forcing them, where they grow, by covering them over 
with pots, aud the ground with gentle heating material. 
Small Salading. —Sow Mustard, Cole seed, and Cress, 
in boxes or pans, and place in some heating contrivance; 
but when they vegetate, remove to near the glass, so 
that they will get green. Good seed is indispensable. 
Spinach. —Sow the long-leaved variety about the end 
of August, in rows a foot apart; thin a little, and, if 
wanted in severe weather, protect by mats, or some other 
contrivance. If it be indispensable, plants taken up and 
put into a hotbed soon produce fresh leaves, but it is 
rarely thought of sufficient importance to deserve so 
much trouble. 
Turnips. —Sow the Hardy Stone and Orange "Jelly 
early in August; and, prior to hard weather, house a few 
in sand. For early spring supply, sow the American 
Stone in a south border, and cover up from frost. 
Water-cresses. —These are rarely looked for, except in 
the hardy, natural condition in which they are produced ; 
but they are sometimes had in fine growing order in 
mid-winter, when grown in the tepid water running ffom 
a condensing steam-engine; but as this is limited to the 
very few cases where such appendages are to be found, 
little need be said of this production. 
Besides the above, there are several things in store, 
which are much used in winter,—as Red Beet, Salsafy, 
Parsnip, and other roots; but as these are ail cultivated 
during the preceding summer, they need not be men¬ 
tioned here; the above articles being only intended to 
meet the case of a Correspondent who has asked after 
such information. J. Robson. 
CONIFERS. 
Having, in my last communication, given a few notes on 
some of the more interesting of the genus Pinus, I will now 
endeavour, by your permission, to clo the same by the genus 
Abies. I must repeat, that my remarks are addressed only 
to those who are in their a, b, c, as it were, and who have 
but a limited extent of ground for the cultivation of this 
noble tribe of plants. I attribute your willingness to insert 
notes of such an imperfect and sketchy character to the 
belief that the class just mentioned is a large and increasing | 
one; and I will also express my hope that ere long we shall 
see another Lambert's Monograph on this subject, undertaken 
by some one of competent knowledge, and brought down to 
the present time. Such a work seems to be really wanted, 
and could not but meet with a ready sale. Abundant mate¬ 
rials surely now exist, from various publications, both foreign 
and English; moreover, good growing specimens of the 
rarer kinds are now to be found, in private gardens and in 
nurseries, by which to judge of the distinctive, characters ol 
the various species. 
In discussing the genus Abies, there is, first, a question 
of nomenclature which forces itself upon us ; for this genus 
contains two very distinct sections, represented severally by 
the common Spruce and the Silver Eir. In nursery cata¬ 
logues, the Spruce section is generally called Abies, the 
Silver Firs, Picea; some, however, without, as it appears to 
the writer, sufficient reason, choose exactly to reverse these 
names, calling the Spruce section Picea, and the Silver 
Firs Abies. Surely, it is not too much to hope that the mi¬ 
nority will in this case give way, for peace sake and avoid¬ 
ance of confusion. Others, again, acknowledge neither 
Abies nor Picea as generic names, but class them together 
with the last section, under the one genus Pinus; but this, 
as they themselves acknowledge, is merely to get rid of a 
difficulty, namely this, that some three or four kinds are of a 
character intermediate between these two groups, or between 
one of them and some other group, as Cedrus or Larix. 
But if the characters of new plants really forbid our classing 
them with already established groups, we ought, surely, not 
to be afraid of making them into new ones, even though 
there should be but one or two species in each. 
To begin, then, at once, with the genus Abies, represented 
by the common Spruce: out of about twelve species now known, 
all, except four, are of comparatively recent introduction; 
these are the common (or Norway) Spruce, A. excelsa, 
and three closely- allied species from N. America ; A. Alba, A. 
rubra, and A. nigra. These three are of considerably lower 
growth than the Norway Spruce, and exhibit some variety in 
their foliage; alba is the most distinct, from the colour of 
its leaves being a silvery gray; nigra is distinguished by its 
short, thickly-set and somewhat milky-green leaves ; rubra 
approximates very closely to the common Spruce, but its 
leaves will be found, on examination, to be more decidedly 
needle-like. A tree of later introduction, not much distin¬ 
guished from these, is A. orienlalis, its natural habitat is 
Tauria and the Mount Caucasus. The cones of the four last- 
named are much smaller than those of the Norway Spruce. 
Our next species is from the Himalayas, and is known under 
the different names of Morinda, Khutrow, and Smithiana ; 
this approaches nearest to alba of those above-named, but is 
readily distinguished from it by its pendulous habit and its 
slenderer and more pointed leaves. In situations which are 
suited to it, its form of growth is very graceful; but it is 
unfortunately liable to suffer from spring frosts, by which 
means its growth is checked, and thus, as a yoimg tree, it has 
often a stunted appearance. Our next two species are from 
a quarter which has furnished all our best new kinds— 
California; they are called A. Douglassii and A. Menziesii; 
the first of these is said sometimes to exceed 200 feet in 
height, and is remarkable for its rapid growth and rich green 
foliage; the latter does not exceed sixty or seventy feet, but 
it is of a distinct and beautiful character, being conspicuous 
for the silvery undersides of its leaves. We next come to 
two] trees which are often classed with this section, but are 
very distinct from those which have been already named; 
these are the Abies Canadensis, or Hemlock Spruce, and A. 
Brunoniana, which is an Himalayan form of the same tree. 
The A. Canadensis has long been introduced into this 
country, and, when planted in a suitable soil and situation, 
is one of the greatest ornaments of our shrubberies. A. 
Brunoniana is, from its larger and more milky-green leaves, 
still more handsome; but, except in favoured spots, will not 
endure our winters. Many other trees have been named as 
belonging to the genus Abies ; but they are either very 
scarce, or not as yet introduced. 
The Picea, (or Silver-Fir) group next claims our atten¬ 
tion. Of the trees belonging to this section it is hard to 
speak in too high terms of praise; it comprises some fifteen 
or sixteen known species, nearly all of which are eminently 
deserving of the attention of the planter. Two of the 
