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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  22,  1900. 
Conifer®. 
(  Continued  from  page  264.) 
In  these  notes  we  are  dealing  with  Conifers  as  ornamental  trees 
and  shrubs;  at  the  same  time  it  is  as  well  not  to  forget  their  more 
important  qualities.  Dr.  Lindley  says: — “No  order  ctn  be  named  of 
more  universal  importance  to  mankind  than  this,  whether  we  view  it 
with  reference  to  its  timber  or  its  secretions.  Gigantic  in  size,  rapid 
in  growth,  noble  in  aspect,  robust  in  constitution,  these  trees  form  a 
considerable  proportion  of  woods  or  plantations  in  cultivated  countries, 
and  of  forests  where  Nature  remains  in  temperate  countries  in  a  savage 
state.”  The  qualities  of  Coniferous  timber  vary  much  in  the 
different  tribes,  and  also  among  members  of  the  same  tribe. 
Ihe  Fir  and  Pine  tribe  acquire  high  importance  *  from  the 
number  of  species  which  they  include,  affording  excellent  timber. 
Among  the  most  valuable  for  this  purpose  are  the  Scotch  Fir, 
affording  yellow  deal ;  Norway  Spruce,  yielding  white  deal,  formerly 
a  British  tree,  as  its  cones  are  found  in  geological  formations; 
Weymouth  Pine,  the  most  valuable  timber  Fir  of  North  America; 
the  Douglas  Fir,  of  which  a  spar  of  159  feet  in  length  is  erected  as  a 
flagstaff  in  the  pleasure  grounds  at  Kew ;  and'Larch,  which  is  largely 
used  for  railway  shepers.  The  wood  of  the  Cypress  (Cupressus 
sempervirens)  is  almost  imperishable  ;  the  gates  of  Constantinople  made 
of  this  wood  lasted  1100  years.  The  wood  of  Juniperus  vi-^giniana 
is  commonly  used  for  “  lead  pencils,”  under  the  name  of  Red  Cedar. 
The  Deodar  wood  of  India  is  practically  imperishable,  but  that  of  the 
true  Cedar  (Cedrus  Libani)  is  comparatively  worthless.  The  wood  of 
Juniperus  oxyc^drus  is  supposed  to  have  been  that  from  which  the 
Greeks  carved  the  images  of  their  gods.  The  Virginian  Pine  (Pinus 
palustris)  is  largely  employed  in  the  navy  for  masts,  while  the 
Stone  Pine  is  used  by  the  Greeks  in  ship  building.  The  wood  of  the 
Yew  is  among  the  hardest  and  most  elastic  known,  and  it  is  said 
never  to  be  attacked  by  insects. 
The  amount  of  secretions  yielded  by  Coniferous  trees  appears  to  he 
influenced  by  the  heat  and  moisture  of  the  climate;  the  former- 
acting  as  a  stimulant,  and  the  latter  as  a  chr  ck  to  their  production. 
Of  resinous  products  the  most  important  are  tar  and  turpentine.  The 
former  is  distilled  from  Dggots  of  Pine,  chiefly  Scotch  Fir,  in  the 
north  of  Europe.  The  residuum  left  after  the  distillation  of  the 
liquid  part  from  tar  is  pitch.  Turpentine  is  afforded  by  several 
species  of  Pine,  especially  Pinus  palustris.  The  turpentine  exudes 
from  wounds  in  the  trunk  near  vhe  ground.  Common  resin  is  the 
residuum  of  the  distillation  of  oil  of  turpentine.  The  Kauri  resin  of 
New  Zealand,  used  in  making  varnishes,  is  exuded  by  the  Cowdie  Pine, 
The  largest  masses  of  it  are  said  to  be  found  buried  in  the  soil  far 
from  places  where  the  tree  now  grows.  Great  tanning  powers  exist 
in  the  bark  of  the  Larch,  as  great  it  is  said,  as  in  the  Oak. 
The  seeds  of  some  species  are  edible,  and  although  the  resinous 
flavour  is  never  entirely  absent,  it  may  be  got  rid  of  by  boiling  or  roasting ; 
they  are  then  not  only  palatable,  but  even  agreeable.  The  seeds  of 
Araucaria  imbricata,  Pinus  Sabiniana,  P.  Lambertiana,  Pinus  longifolia, 
P.  pinea,  are  all  used  as  food  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  count: ies  of 
which  they  are  native.  Those  of  the  P.  pinea  are  brought  to  market 
in  the  South  of  Europe  strung  together  like  beads  on  a  string.  The 
large  seeds  of  the  Bunya-bunya  Pine,  Araucaria  Bidwiili,  are  eaten  by  the 
aborigines  of  East  Australia.  Araucaria  imbricata  appears  to  be  one 
of  the  most  useful  tiees  for  supplying  these  edible  seeds. 
Dr.  Poeppig  gives  a  detailed  account  of  the  Araucaria  forests.  He 
says,  “The  Araucaria  is  the  Palm  of  those  Indians  who  inhabit  the 
Chilian  Andes,  from  latitude  37°  to  48°,  yielding  to  these  nomade 
nations  a  vegetable  substance  that  is  found  in  the  greater  plenty  the  more 
they  recede  from  the  whites,  and  the  more  difficult  they  find  it  to  obtain 
corn  by  commerce.  Such  is  the  extent  of  the  Araucaria  forests,  and  the 
amazing  quantities  of  nutritions  seeds  that  each  full  grown  tree  produces, 
that  the  Indians  are  ever  secure  from  want;  and  even  the  discord 
that  prevails  frequently  among  the  different  hordes  does  not  prevent 
the  quiet  collection  of  this  kind  of  harvest.  A  single  fru.t  contains 
between  200  and  300  kernels,  and  there  are  twenty  or  thirty  fruits  on 
one  stem;  and  as  even  a  hearty  eater  among  the  Indians,  except  he 
should  be  wholly  deprived  of  every  other  kind  of  sustenance,  cannot 
consume  more  than  200  nuts  a  day,  it  is  obvious  that  eighteen 
Araucarias  will  maintain  a  single  person  for  a  whole  year.”  From 
the  seeds  of  Pinus  Cembra  is  expressed  a  valuable  oil  used  for  lamps, 
and  the  berries  of  the  Juniper  are  used  to  flavour  gin. 
The  foliage  of  Coniferous  plants  does  not  give  us  such  a  variety  cf 
beautiful  colours  as  is  to  be  found  among  many  of  our  deciduous  tree.' 
and  shrubs  in  the  spring,  but  especially  during  the  autumn  months. 
Nevertheless  we  have  many  shades  of  green  and  yellow,  also  grey 
and  white.  The  foliage  of  the  Lawson’s  Cypress  is  a  dark  green, 
while  the  variety  erecta  viridis  is  a  lighter  green,  and  much  brighter. 
Then  there  is  the  glaucous  form,  and  a  variety  with  quite  a  blue 
tint.  The  Austrian,  Corsican,  and  Scotch  Pines  are  olten  termed 
Black  Pines.  I  am  familiar  with  a  plantation  of  the  latter  that  goes  by 
the  name  of  the  Black  Plantation.  There  are  different  shades  of 
yellow  in  the  Chinese  Arbor  Vitae,  Chinese  Juniper,  Tew,  and 
Retinospora.  In  the  Deodar  Cedar  we  have  a  pleasing  glaucous  hue, 
and  also  in  that  of  Juniperus  virginiana  glauca,  which  is  darker  than 
the  Deodar.  Perhaps  one  of  the  most  distinct  forms  of  light  coloured 
Conifers  is  to  be  found  in  Retinospora  squarrosa,  which  has  foliage  of  a 
greyish  hue.  We  have  also  variegated  forms,  such  as  Retinospora 
plumosa  argentea.  The  foliage  of  Cryptomeria  elegans  changes  in 
winter  to  a  deep  bronzy  crimson,  which  makes  the  plant  particularly 
ornamental  at  that  season. — Pinus. 
- - - 
Late  Plums. 
In  gardens  of  limited  extent  it  is  not  so  easy  a  matter  to  maintain 
an  unbroken  supply  extending  from  the  first  week  of  August  until 
the  middle  of  November,  or  later,  simply  because  the  extent  of  wall 
space  does  not  allow  for  these  and  other  fruits  demanding  a  share  of 
space,  such  as  Pears,  Cherries,  Peaches,  Figs,  and  Gooseberries. 
That  more  late  sorts  and  trees  of  Plums  could  be  advantageously 
planted  goes  without  saying  in  many  cases,  but  where  the  difficulty 
appears  is  in  dealing  with  existing  trees  that  are  in  a  satisfactory 
bearing  state.  Few  care  to  sacrifice  a  healthy  wall  tree  it  it  bears 
well,  and  the  sort  a  good  one,  notwithstanding  that  its  neighbour  may 
ripen  about  the  same  time,  thus  providing  a  superabundance  at  that 
season  and  a  blank  to  follow^  Valuable  space  is  often  taken  up  on 
the  walls  for  cooking  Plums  that  might  be  filled  with  choice  dessert 
varieties.  Pond’s  Seedling,  Victoria,  Early  Rivers,  Czar,  Diamond,  and 
Magnum  Bonum  may  be  ^rown  as  pyramids  or  standards;  they  give 
heavy  crops  under  this  style  of  growth,  and  extend  over  a  fairly  long 
season.  The  newer  Monarch  fruits  very  freely  as  a  standard,  and 
extends  the  season  most  appreciatively.  Fortunately  such  gluts  of 
Plums  as  that  of  this  season  are  notan  occurrence  of  successional  years  ; 
but  even  in  such  a  one  the  Ltest  gatherings  are  sure  to  be  of  greater 
value  than  the  main  and  earlier  crops.  For  the  autumn  shooting  parties 
Plums  are  always  welcome,  when  they  are  available,  both  for  cooking 
and  dessert  purposes. 
Now  that  the  planting  season  is  with  us,  there  is  wisdom,  I  think, 
in  overhauling  one’s  stock,  and  an  estimate  made  of  the  existing 
supply,  and  where  possible  thin  down  those  trees  that  produce 
simultaneous  crops,  and  plant  new  trees  of  successional  approved  sorts. 
True,  crops  are  not  always  abundant,  and  in  times  of  scarcity  it  takes 
two  or  three  trees  to  proiuce  the  average  of  one,  when  full  crops  are 
the  order  of  the  day.  It  is,  however,  the  average  rather  than  light  or 
very  heavy  ones  that  the  planter  has  to  bear  in  mind  and  provide  for. 
Plums  may  be  grown  on  any  aspect,  east  and  west  being  the  most 
suitable.  I  have  never  found  much,  if  any,  gain  by  planting  on 
south  walls.  This  is  better  devoted  to  Peaches,  Nectarines,  Figs,  and 
Apricots,  allotting  portions  of  the  east,  west  and  north  to  Plums. 
The  latter  is  good  for  a  tree  of  Coe’s  Golden  Drop,  Blue  Imperatrice, 
Coe’s  Late  Red,  and  Monarch.  Thise  give  uselul  crops  in  October 
and  November.  East  and  west  walls  are  the  best  for  main  crop  Plums 
and  Gages,  and  where  it  is  possible  it  is  advisable  to  plant  in  duplicate 
on  these  two  sites,  for  the  reason  that  in  some  years  frost  destroys  the 
bloom  on  one  while  the  other  escapes,  the  sun’s  action  being  so 
prejudicial  acting  on  the  frozen  flowers. 
It  would  not  be  an  unwise  investment  to  plant  two  trees  of  Coe’s 
Golien  Drop  to  one  of  any  other  on  the  walls.  This  is  always  a 
favoured  Plum  because  of  its  rich  flavour  and  its  late  and  successional 
ripening.  It  may  easily  be  had,  if  trees  enough  are  planted,  to  extend 
over  two  months  or  more.  The  new  Golden  Transparent,  Reine 
Claude  de  Bavay,  Brahy’s  Green  Gage,  Late  Rivers,  and  Coe’s  Late 
Red  are  some  others  that  may  reasonably  claim  additional  space. 
It  is  very  curious  how  the  maincrop  and  late  sorts  have  been 
mixed  up  this  year ;  it  was  no  unusual  occurrence  to  have  Kirke’s, 
Jefferson’s,  Monarch,  Coe’s  Golden  Drop,  and  others  all  in  season 
together.  To  a  very  great  extent,  however,  this  is  accounted  for  in  the 
heavy  loads  of  Plums  borne  by  seme  trees,  and  if  unthinned  early 
these  otherwise  excellent  summer  Plums  were  fit  only  for  cooking. 
I  have  never  known  a  year  when  summer  Plums  were  so  much  out 
cf  season  bifore.  Those  that  were  duly  thinned  to  a  normal  crop 
bore  full-sized  Plums;  if  lelt  in  a  natural  state  they  were,  from  a 
dessert  standard,  not  of  much  value. 
Those  contemplating  the  purchase  or  removal  of  such  trees  ought 
to  losfe  no  time  before  doing  so.  Stone  fruits  of  all  kinds  repay  early 
planting.  Moved  early,  new  roots  form  on  what  is  called  the  return 
of  the  sap  It  is  an  advantage,  too,  to  carry  out  removals  while  there 
are  still  leaves  on  the  branches,  and  particularly  is  this  so  in  the  case 
ol  trees  brought  in  from  the  open  to  fill  blank  spaces  under  glass. 
Partial  re-establishment  now  insures  at  least  a  light  crop  next  year 
and  fruits  of  larger  size. — W.  S. 
