46 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURISZ 



weather continued mild most of the day, but 

 in the evening it froze again. The snow 

 must have been lessened somewhat, but not 

 perceptibly. 



Owing to the heavy covering of snow 

 there is very little frost in the ground. The 

 probability is that on this account spring 

 will open very early this year, though it may 

 be backwards enough later on. Bulbs had 

 a splendid opportunity of making great root 

 growth, and the flowers next spring should 

 be very fine. 



Evergreens are noticed in the winter 

 months perhaps more than in the summer 

 on account of their contrast with the bare- 

 looking appearance of the deciduous trees, 

 and it is surprising how much more com- 

 fortable a house looks with a few evergreens 

 near it, even though they do not offer any 

 protection from the cold winds, which they 

 often do. 



Among evergreens there are few as satis- 

 factory as the different varieties of American 

 Arbor vitae. At the Central Experimental 

 farm there are now fifty-one distinct forms 

 forms growing which vary much in foliage 

 and habit of growth from the dwarf and 

 compact " Little Gem," which is only a few 

 inches high, to the pyramidal Arbor vitas 

 which rises straight and full in striking con- 

 trast to it. The American Arbor vitae adapts 

 itself to a great variety of soils,. and it is 

 only on the heaviest clay and lightest sandy 

 soils that it fails to make satisfactory growth. 

 This adaptability to so many different situ- 

 ations is one of the reasons why it is so 

 valuable for ornamental planting. Another 

 important reason why they are so desirable 

 is that they are all perfectly hardy, as the 

 ordinary form grows in the coldest parts of 

 Ontario and Quebec. Owing to the dwarf 

 or semi-dwarf habit of most of the varieties, 

 they are very useful for small grounds where 

 there is not room to grow anything which 

 will reach a great size. Some of the vari- 

 eties are so distinct in shape, such as cotn- 



pacia, globosa, pyramidal is, and Hoveii, that 

 visitors to the Experimental Farm are often 

 led to believe that they have been pruned to 

 their several shapes until informed to the 

 contrary. 



Out of the large collection the following 

 are selected as being among the best as re- 

 gards form and color of foliage : 



Douglas' Golden Arbor vitze {Thuya occi- 

 dentaiis aurea Douglasii : For those who are 

 fond of yellow foliaged evergreens, this is a 

 very desirable one. It is of a fine, upright 

 form, with bright golden leaves which retain 

 their yellow color well in the winter, making 

 this tree very attractive at that time of the 

 year. Contrasted with darker kinds it 

 makes a good effect. 



Compact Arbor vitae [Thuya occidentalis 

 conipacta) : — This is a compact, dwarf vari- 

 ety with bright green foliage and is very 

 pleasing to the eye. There is a variety, 

 Parsoni, which is particularly good. 



Ellwanger's Arbor vitae {Thuya occident- 

 alis Ellwavgeriana) : — Although this variety 

 does not grow very tall, specimens from 

 twelve to fourteen years old being about four 

 feet high, it is a vigorous growing sort and 

 spreads out well. It is a compact variety 

 and has slender leaves and branches which 

 give it a less stiff appearance than some 

 other varieties. 



Hovey's Arbor vitae {Thuya occidentalis 

 Hoveii) : This is one of the finest and most 

 attractive varieties. The leaves are bright 

 green and the branches flat and parallel, 

 giving the shrub a very remarkable but 

 pleasing appearance. It does not grow very 

 tall, specimens from twelve to fourteen years 

 of age being only between four and five feet 

 high. 



Pyramidal Arbor vitae ( Thuya occidentalis 

 pyramidalis) : — The pyramidal Arbor vitie is 

 one of the most distinct in form. It is a 

 compact and very upright grower, being 

 quite columnar in form, which makes it a 

 very conspicuous object wherever planted. 



