Southern Beeches

Southern Beeches (Nothofagus) - A very interesting group of trees, quite distinct from our Northern Beeches, and, though as yet little tried in England, likely to give us in time some of the most beautiful trees for the lawn and pleasure ground, but only in the southern parts of our isles. Some are evergreen and some are summer-leafing, and all love cool and moist places. First among them is the Antarctic Beech, thought to be about the best for our land; next, Betuloides, a native of S. America (Terra del Fuego), has been several times introduced, but not very successfully, although there are several trees of it on high southern ground; the Mountain Beech of New Zealand is another: it thrives in Surrey; Cunninghams Beech, a native of Tasmania, succeeds in the Isle of Wight and also in S. Ireland. N. Fusca, a native of New Zealand, also thrives in Surrey; and Moores Australian Beech, found in New South Wales, does well at Kilmacurragh, Co. Wicklow, but cannot be said to be hardy, parts of our land. Among the most charming experiments for the tree-lover to make would be these Southern Beeches, but the trouble is that for some time it may be difficult to get healthy young stock.