158 COME INTO THE GARDEN 



those who understand, the characteristics of 

 their struggle to survive the changed conditions 

 of the present and a certain desperate effort to 

 adapt themselves and thus to escape extinction. 

 When it is remembered that there have been 

 mighty groups of animals, of men, and of many 

 forms of vegetation that are no longer to be 

 found anywhere on the earth, it is not difficult 

 to realize that this process of extinction may 

 perfectly well be going on right under our eyes. 

 Indeed, why should it not be.^^ What is more 

 probable.'* 



All of which makes the conifer more interest- 

 ing, and certainly to be treated with the greatest 

 consideration and a better understanding than 

 leads to its use haphazard as "shrubbery" to 

 hide a cellar wall. Yet to hide our cellar walls 

 with something that will be effective winter as 

 well as summer, we often wish; and this brings 

 me to the consideration first of evergreen shrubs. 

 For there are many of these, every one beauti- 

 ful and some bearing beautiful flowers or beau- 

 tiful fruits; and of course they lend themselves 

 to the foundation massing which is so desired, 

 perfectly well. 



Which is not the case with the trees; for of all 

 the great cone - bearing class there are really 

 only two suited to the small garden. These are 



