‘I

26

A DISCOURSE

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amongst the curious; whereas we see it now in every garden, rising toas goodly a bulk and stature as most which you shall find even in Italy itself: For such I remember to have once seen in his late Majesty’s gar-dens at Theobalds, before that princely seat was demolished. I say, ifwe did argue from this topic, methinks it should rather encourage ourcountrymen to add yet to their plantations other foreign and useful trees,

height and bulk than if planted in a dry soil. This tree in the summer has the resemblanceof an Evergreen, which is the chief inducement for its admifsion into the pleasure-ground.

3. CUPRESSUS (thyoides) foliis imbricatis, frondibus ancipitibus. Lin. Sp. PI. 1422.Cy/irefs with imbricated leaves, and branches standing two ways. Cuprefsus. nana Mariana, fructucaeruleo parvo. Pluk. Mant. 61. Dwarf Maryland cypress , with a small blue fruit .

The branches of this tree are garnished with fiat Evergreen leaves, resembling those of theArbor Vita: ; and the cones are no larger than the berries of the Juniper, from which they arenot easily distinguished at a little distance ; but upon closely viewing, they are perfect cones,having many cells like those of the common Cyprefs.

4. CUPRESSUS (jvniperoides) foliis oppositis decufsatis siibulatis patulis. Lin. Sp.Plant. 1422. Cuprefsus foliis linearibus simplicibus cruciatim positis. Mill. Diet. Cyjircfs•with narrow single leavesplaced enfsways. The cape cypress.

The branches of this.species are numerous, slender, and spread themselves all round. Theleaves are narrow, awl-shaped, about an inch long, of a light green colour, and grow oppositeto each other' on the branches. The flowers come out from the sides of the branches likecommon Cyprefs, and are succeeded by black fruit; but the seeds never ripen in England.

The cypress , in the Linmean system, belongs to the clafs and order Moncecia Mona -delphia.

The manner of propagating the common Cyprefs is as follows: A warm border, or well-sheltered bed, should be prepared for the purpose, after having been well-worked, turnedover, and mellowed by the frosts alt winter. The soil of this border, or bed, should besandy ; and if it be not naturally so, some drift-sand may be brought to mix with it, andworked all over the bed, at least six inches deep. Having the border prepared, themould being smooth and fine, let a small part, sufficient to cover the seeds, be taken out,and then let the bed be raked smooth and fine. After this, sow the seeds all over it mo-derately thin ; for if they are sown too thick the roots get matted together, so. that theplants cannot be removed out of the seed-bed into the nursery, without great danger.The seeds being now sown regularly over the bed, riddle the mould that was taken out,over.them, not quite half an inch thick. The beginning of March.is .the best time for thiswork ; and by the beginning of May, if the seeds were good, the plants will come up.If the month of April should prove very dry, as it often happens, the beds may have nowand then a gentle watering, which will Ijelp to bring the plants up. After they have comejip, if the summer should not prove very dry, they will require little watering; and even