ba_, the North American Spruces, succeed better than the Norway
Spruce, _P. excelsa_, but these, like the Silver Firs, must have the
shelter of a good wind break; _Picea pungens_, _P. pungens glauca_, and
_P. Engelmanni_ will not succeed in exposed places, even in inland
localities, and fail entirely by the sea. There is a difference of
opinion about _Engelmanni_. In some places it seems to stand winds well.
The Conifers that will thrive by the sea are very few, and probably not
more than half-a-dozen kinds can be trusted. The finest of all is
undoubtedly _Pinus Pinaster_, which is essentially a sea-coast Pine,
revelling in storms and sprays. For warmer parts, is the Aleppo Pine
(_P. halepensis_), but is only for southern and warm coasts. _P.
insignis_ is somewhat tender, but stands the sea gales fairly well, and
_P. austriaca_, and its relative, _P. Laricio_, are both excellent,
specially for making the first barrier against the winds. The hardy
Scotch Pine (_P. sylvestris_), if planted in large masses, grows well,
but does not luxuriate close to the sea, and is especially liable to be
browned in foliage by the salt spray.

Besides the Pines, one of the finest of Conifers is the Monterey Cypress
(_Cupressus macrocarpa_), which is hardy everywhere on the coast in
these islands; it grows finer than it does in its home on the Pacific
coast. It makes a fine front barrier against the wind, especially when
mixed with the foregoing Pines. The variety _C. lambertiana_ is also
excellent. There are two other Conifers which, though not much planted
by the sea-coast, will, we believe, prove reliable; these are _Cedrus
atlantica_ and _Thuya gigantea_ (sometimes called _T. Lobbii_). A third
Conifer that we have seen doing well by the sea is _Abies Pinsapo_, but
it must have a temporary shelter in its small state. This subject of
seaside planting--the most difficult in a tree planter's practice--is an
important one, and it is only possible to treat the matter generally.

The Conifer family is especially noteworthy for the way many of its
species vary. Not only is this propensity evidenced in such characters
as the colour of the leaf and the differences in habit; it shows itself
more remarkably sometimes in the form and texture of the leaf and mode
of branching. So great is the difference between some forms of certain
species of Conifers that they have been placed in different genera. What
are generally known as Retinosporas, for inst