Pseudotsuga.—This genus only contains one species, viz., P. Douglasii (the Douglas Fir), which is propagated readily by seed, the seedlings being of rapid growth and soon form good plants. The few varieties are grafted on the type, though the majority will come fairly true from seed, which, however, is not always to be obtained.
Pinus.—Perhaps no Conifer adds so much to the beauty of the landscape in winter as the Pine. All the species should be raised from seeds, and any green or glaucous varieties can also be propagated in the same way if seeds can be obtained. The golden, dwarf, and variegated Pines must be grafted on the species they are varieties of.
Taxaceæ.—This group is usually associated with Coniferæ, from which it differs chiefly by the seed being nearly or quite enclosed in a fleshy envelope instead of in a cone, the fruit of some resembling a small Plum, but a typical fruit is seen in that of the Common Yew. The hardy genera are Ginkgo biloba (the Maidenhair tree), which is propagated from seed—the plant is deciduous and slow growing; Cephalotaxus and Torreya are propagated by seeds, cuttings, or layers.
Taxus (the Yew).—There are only three or four species of Taxus, but there are a great many varieties of the Common Yew, many being very handsome. The species are easily raised from seeds, layers, or cuttings. The first two methods are the best, cuttings being very slow in growth, but as seed is very plentiful in most years this is the quickest and best means of propagation. Some of the varieties will come true from seed; the Irish Yew, however, must be struck from cuttings, as seedlings never come true. The more highly variegated Yews grow quickest when grafted on the Common Yew, and as they always keep good in after years this method can for once be recommended. A very good species for a lawn is T. cuspidata; it is strong in growth and spreading.
Propagate Prumnopitys and Saxegothea by seeds, cuttings, or layers.
Conifers at Murthly Castle, Perthshire
AVENUE OF ANCIENT YEWS AT MURTHLY.
The following account of a great Conifer garden in Scotland is important, as showing how certain of the better-known species have behaved during the last fifty years or so. It is taken from the Garden of May 19, 1900:—
The second quarter of the present century saw the introduction of a large number of Conifers hitherto unknown to English gardens. Their cultivation was eagerly taken up, and especially in Scotland, a land whose general conditions seem highly favourable to a considerable number of species, much success has been attained. It may still be premature to state with any degree of assurance what may be the ultimate suitability of many of these Conifers for growth in our islands. The lifetime of a tree is not comprised within its first sixty years, and such a length of time is all too short to prove the ultimate success of any new tree, though within that space it may come to a magnificent size and apparent promise. Such a state is shown by the splendid Douglas Firs in the grounds of Murthly Castle, Perthshire, where also many another exotic Conifer is grown in quantity.