June  6,  IDOL 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
475 
been  established  only  a  few  years  in  its  present  situation ;  but  Mr. 
Luke  Pope,  the  father  of  the  present  J.  W.  Pope,  sen.,  was  the 
founder  of  a  nursery  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Birmingham  in  the  last 
century.  The  extent  of  the  Handsworth  nursery  is  not  great,  but 
there  are  several  acres  belonging  to  it  in  other  situations,  where 
fruit  and  forest  trees  are  grown  extensively  .  .  .  The  articles 
grown  at  Handsworth  are  chiefly  of  botanical  and  floral  interest. 
.  .  .  Mr.  Pope’s  father  was  long  famous  for  his  Tulips,  and  he 
declared  on  his  deathbed  that  he  had  spent  upwards  of  £3000  on 
them.  The  collection  is  now  at  Handsworth,  and  made  a  very 
splendid  display  on  the  first  and  second  weeks  in  May  last ;  we  were 
shown  some  sorts  for  which  £50  a  root  were  given  by  the  father  of 
the  present  J.  W.  Pope,  and  others  valued  even  now  at  £20  a  root. 
Many  of  the  finest  sorts  are  beautifully  drawn  and  painted  by  Mr. 
L.  L.  Pope,  for  the  inspection  of  purchasers.  Mr.  Pope,  sen.,  has 
travelled  through  the  greater  part  of  the  United  States,  and  has 
introduced  a  number  of  American  plants.”  The  L.  L.  Pope  referred 
to  is  intended  for  Linnaeus  L.  Pope,  and  several  of  the  paintings  of 
the  Tulip  are  at  the  present  time  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  John  Pope, 
King’s  Norton,  near  Birmingham. — William  Gabdineb. 
Conifers, 
Abies  excelsa,  the  common  or  Norway  Spruce,  is,  no  doubt,  the 
best  known  of  all  the  Firs,  and  bears  the  same  relation  to  the  Fir 
tribe  as  the  Scotch  Pine  does  to  the  Pine  tribe.  They  both  are 
extensively  planted  by  the  forester,  but  the  Spruce  Fir,  equally  with  the 
Scotch  Pine,  lends  itself  for  ornamental  purposes.  One  advantage 
with  this  tree  is  that  it  will  thrive  in  situations  where  many  others 
would  die.  It  likes  a  moist  soil,  and  when  grown  as  an  ornamental 
tree  it  should  have  shelter.  It  is  a  beautiful  and  stately  tree  ;  the 
leaves  are  solitary,  short,  slightly  arched,  and  of  a  dark  green  colour. 
When  grown  under  conditions  favourable  to  its  development  it  is  one 
of  the  handsomest  of  Conifers  for  the  decoration  of  the  park  and 
landscape,  and  the  natural  beauty  of  the  species  is  only  fully  developed 
when  the  tree  stands  alone. 
Although  the  Spruce  is  not  particular  as  to  soil  or  situation,  it 
should  not  be  planted  in  very  windy  positions.  It  is  otten 
recommended  for  planting  near  to  dwelling  houses,  and  other 
buildings,  as  a  protection  from  piercing  winds.  In  such  situations, 
however,  it  will  not  thrive ;  several  cases  known  to  the  writer  have 
proved  miserable  failures.  Quite  recently  a  friend  remarked,  “lam 
thinking  of  planting  some  Spruce  Firs  at  the  end  of  my  house  to  keep 
off  the  wind.”  I  advised  him  not  to  do  so,  but  .to  plant  the  Austrian 
Pine  instead. 
The  varieties  of  the  common  Spruce  are  numerous,  some  of  which 
only  attain  a  height  of  a  few  leet.  Abies  inverta  is  a  pendulous  form, 
the  branches  drooping  almost  close  to  the  trunk.  A.  Douglasi  is  a  fast¬ 
growing,  magnificent  tree,  introduced  by  Douglas,  whose  name  it 
bears.  It  is  a  native  of  North-West  America,  where  it  attains  a 
height  of  200  and  even  300  feet.  It  was  first  discovered  by  Menzies 
in  1797,  and  was  introduced  by  Douglas  in  1825,  cones  having  been 
sent  home  by  him,  from  which  plants  were  raised  and  distributed  by 
tke  Royal  Hort.  Society.  In  some  positions  it  is  said  the  tree  will 
form  leading  shoots  3  feet  long  in  one  season.  I  have  seen  young  trees 
that  have  made  2  feet  of  growth  in  a  season,  but  they  were  somewhat 
surrounded  by  other  trees.  It  thrives  best  in  ground  having  a  moist 
subsoil.  As  a  decorative  tree  it  is  one  of  the  best;  the  foliage  is  of  a 
pleasing  green,  and  the  leaves  are  about  an  inch  long,  but  are  not  so 
plentifully  produced  as  in  some  of  the  tall  Firs.  Thus  the  tree  makes 
a  very  light  and  graceful  specimen.  There  is  a  very  interesting 
account  of  this  tree  in  Veitch’s  “  Manual  of  Coniferae,’’  and  also  a 
brief  sketch  of  David  Douglas. 
Abies  Albertiana,  the  Californian  Hemlock  Spruce,  is  a  tall,  graoeful 
tree,  attaining  a  height  of  100  to  120  feet,  with  long  flexible  branches 
and  flexible  branchlets.  It  is  named  after  the  late  Prince  Consort. 
The  better  known  Hemlock  Spruce,  Abies  canadensis,  is  very  similar 
in  appearance,  but  only  grows  about  half  as  high.  This  is  supposed 
to  be  more  fastidious  as  to  soil  and  situation  than  A.  Albertiana.  I 
have  found,  however,  the  opp  site  to  be  the  case.  The  leading  shoots 
of  A.  Albertiana  die  when  the  trees  are  about  4  or  5  feet  high.  It  is 
rather  difficult  to  distinguish  one  from  another,  the  leading  shoots  of 
both  being  pendulous ;  but  while  Abies  canadensis  forms  a  more 
bushy  specimen,  A.  Albertiana  makes  longer  shoots,  and  the  branches 
are  not  so  large.  They  are  both  desirable  trees  for  ornamental 
planting.  The  cones  of  A.  canadensis  are  smaller  than  those  of  any 
other  Fir. 
Abies  pectinata,  the  common  Silver  Fir,  is  perhaps  the  best 
known  of  all  the  Silver  Firs.  They  are  rather  more  formal  in  their 
growth  than  the  Spruce  Firs,  the  branches  are  horizontal,  and  the 
leaves  are,  generally  speaking,  arranged  in  two  rows.  On  their  under 
surface  are  two  white  lines  running  lengthwise  on  each  side  of  the 
midrib,  giving  the  leaves  that  silvery  look  from  whence  the  common 
name  is  derived.  The  Silver  Firs  are  not  quite  so  hardy  as  the  Spruce 
Firs,  Abies  pectinata  being  about  the  worst  to  manage  in  its  young 
state.  Late  spring  frosts  often  destroy  the  new  growths  and  cripple 
the  trees,  so  that  no  more  shoots  are  formed  during  the  same  season. 
For  ornamental  planting  it  should  have  sheltered  positions  ;  the 
growth  is  very  slow  for  several  years,  but  afterwards  it  advances  with 
a  rapidity  both  in  height  and  girth  which  is  reldom  surpassed  by  any 
species  of  the  Coniferae. 
Abies  Nordmanniana  is  a  very  beautiful  and  symmetrical 
ornamental  tree.  It  is  only  regarded  as  a  variety  of  the  common 
Silver  Fir,  but  is  very  distinct  from  that  tree.  The  branches  are 
rigid,  and  densely  clothed  with  foliage  of  a  beautiful,  deep,  glossy 
green.  In  this  country  the  young  plant  is  late  in  expanding  its 
leaves  in  spring,  whereby  it  is  generally  exempt  from  injury.  It  is 
acknowledged  the  hardiest  Silver  Fir  introduced,  and  is  said  to  grow 
well  in  almost  any  kind  of  soil.  I  find  it  thrives  well  in  rather  a 
light  loam.  Abies  grandis  is  another  beautiful  tree,  and  one  of  the 
tallest  of  the  Silver  Firs,  often  towering  to  a  height  of  200  feet  or 
more.  It  makes  a  very  graceful  sjecimen,  the  branches  being  some¬ 
what  more  slender  and  less  thickly  set  than  in  many  of  the  Silver 
Firs,  and  thence  the  aspect  is  lighter  and  more  airy. 
Abies  grandis  is  perfectly  hardy,  but  is  supposed  not  to  thrive  very 
well  in  the  limestone  formation.  I  planted  a  young  tree  several 
years  ago,  which  is  now  growing  into  a  fine  specimen  in  a  sheltered 
situation.  Abies  Lowiana  somewhat  resembles  A.  grandis,  but  is  not 
such  a  graceful  tree  ;  the  branches  are  more  robust,  the  leaves  uneven 
and  stiff.  It  pushes  its  growth  a  little  too  early  for  our  fluctuating 
spring  weather,  and  accordingly  suffers  from  low  temperatures  followed 
by  scorching  sunshine.  There  appear  to  be  several  names  for  this 
species ;  perhaps  Abies  concolor  would  have  been  more  correct. — PlNUS. 
Walls  in  tl(e  West  Countree. 
No  one  who  has  visited  the  West  of  England  and  South  Wales  can 
fail  to  have  been  struck  with  the  beauty  of  the  old  walls  that  abound 
there.  Along  the  high  roads  they  are  spoiled  by  the  dust  in  summer, 
but  in  the  more  out  of  the  way  lanes  and  bye  roads  they  are  always 
pretty  and  interesting.  The  plants  established  on  them  are  not  all 
natives ;  some  are  from  seeds  blown  from  adjacent  cottage  gardens,  suoh 
as  the  white  Arabis,  or  Snow  on  the  Mountain,  as  it  is  popularly  known. 
This  is  very  common  about  the  Mendip  Hills  in  Somersetshire,  and  just 
now  is  very  beautiful.  The  clumps  do  not  spread  so  rapidly  on  the  dry 
walls  as  they  do  in  the  gardens,  and  are  consequently  dwarfer  and  full 
of  flower. 
The  green  leaves  of  the  Stoneorop  form  a  flue  setting  for  the 
brilliant  yellow  flowers,  and  the  plants  in  such  positions  lose  much  of 
their  stiffness.  In  sb.ady,  moist  places  the  Ground  Ivy,  Nepeta 
Glechoma,  is  a  lovely  sight ;  the  long  procumbent  shoots  hang  very 
gracefully,  yet  in  rich  profusion,  winter  and  summer,  and  when  covered 
with  the  tiny  blue  flowers  are  exquisite.  If  this  were  a  rare  exotic, 
what  a  rush  there  would  be  for  it.  Of  Ferns,  the  wild  Polypody  and 
Ceterach  offioinarum,  the  Soaly  Spleenwort,  are  among  the  most  common, 
but  the  Lady  Fern,  and  the  black  stemmed  Asplenium  Trichomanes,  are 
even  more  beautiful.  Of  the  latter  I  have  gathered  fronds  9  inches  in 
ength,  like  a  miniature  Pellsea,  and  in  this  form)  it  is  very  striking. 
This  needs  plenty  of  moisture  to  attain  its  finest  proportions. 
Self-sown  for  generations,  and  perfectly  at  home,  without  a  particle 
of  soil  other  than  that  which  collects  in  the  mortarless  joints  of  the 
walls,  the  Wallflowers  are  now  at  their  best.  Thousands  of  plants  in 
all  stages,  from  tiny  seedlings  to  woody  old  specimens,  may  be  seen  in 
the  red  sandstone  quarries  about  Gloucestershire,  and  the  air  is  filled 
with  their  sweet  perfume.  One  wonders  what  the  larger  patches  of 
brighter  green  in  almost  inaccessible  places  are,  and  not  until  quite 
close  do  we  recognise  the  young  stems  of  Honesty.  Its  season  is  not 
yet,  but  in  summer  these  patches  will  be  a  blaze  of  colour. 
The  Cheddar  Pink  is  sometimes  seen  as  a  cultivated  specimen,,  but 
on  the  famous  cliffs  from  which  it  takes  its  name  it  can  only  be  obtained 
after  a  dangerous  climb.  In  the  lower  places  it  has  almost  entirely 
disappeared.  These,  and  many  other  species,  make  a  rambling  tour  in 
the  neighbourhood  very  interesting  to  anyone  fond  of  wild  flowers. 
Each  month  has  something  fresh,  so  the  interest  never  flags ;  but,  as 
mentioned  above,  it  is  no  use  remaining  on  the  main  roads.  The  farther 
one  gets  from  the  railways  and  high  roads  the  less  likely  is  the  place  to 
be  visited  by  those  wretched  despoilers  of  the  countryside,  the  flower 
root  hawkers,  to  whom  nothing  is  sacred. — Tes  Remos. 
