EVERGREEN ORNAMENTAL TREE^. 303 



The only fault of this tree as an evergreen, is the 

 comparatively dingy green hue of its foliage in winter. 

 But to compensate for this, it is remarkably fresh looking 

 in its spring, summer, and autumn tints, comparing well at 

 those seasons even with the bright verdure of deciduous 

 trees. 



The Arbor Vitee is very abundant in New Brunswick, 

 Vermont, and Maine. In New York, the shores of the 

 Hudson, at Hampton landing, 70 miles above the city of 

 New York, are lined on both sides with beautiful speci 

 mens of this tree, many of them being perfect cones in 

 outline ; and it is here much more symmetrical and perfect 

 in its growth than we have seen it. Forty feet is about 

 the maximum altitude of the Arbor YitcB, and the stem 

 rarely measures more than ten or twelve inches in 

 diameter. 



The wood is very light, soft, and fine-grained, but is 

 reputed to be equally durable with the Red Cedar. It 

 is consequently employed for various purposes in build- 

 ing and fencing, where, in the northern districts, it 

 grows in sufficient abundance, and of suitable size. 



The Chinese Arbor Vitse {T. orientalis) is a tree of 

 much smaller and more feeble growth. It cannot, 

 therefore, as an ornamental tree, be put in competition 

 with our native species. Bnt it is a beautiful evergreen 

 for the garden and shrubbery, where it finds a more 

 suitable and sheltered site, being rather tender north of 

 New York. 



The White Cedar {Thuja spheroida*), which belongs 

 lo the same genus as the Arbor Vitae, is a much loftiei 



• Cupressus thuyoides of the old botanists. 



