THE NORWAY SPRUCE 



OF all introduced evergreen trees the Norway Spruce has been more generally 

 planted for landscape purposes than any other. For many years it was almost 

 the only evergreen offered by nurserymen for general planting, and it had many 

 qualities which made it desirable for this purpose. It is of rapid, symmetrical growth, 

 keeping its foliage on the lower as well as the upper branches, and developing cones of 

 large size and beautiful form, which add to the attractiveness of the upper part of the 

 tree. Having developed in the rigorous climate of Northern Europe it is hardy in all 

 situations and is free from attack by insect and fungus enemies. 



The Norway Spruce is at once distinguished from all our native Spruces by its 

 slender cones, which are three to six inches long and one or two inches broad. The margins 

 of the scales are rather thin, being slightly and irregularly toothed, and the small winged 

 seeds that escape from the scales being about one-third of an inch long. The bark of the 

 young twigs is of a light reddish-brown color, while that of the older branches is much 

 darker. The buds are nearly conical in form and have reddish-brown, imbricated scales. 



As the Red Spruce is the prevailing tree on the New England mountains, so the 

 Norway Spruce is the prevailing tree in the Alps, where in the great forests on the mountain- 

 sides individual trees sometimes reach a height of one hundred and fifty feet. The wood 

 of this species forms the white Deal of the European lumber-market, holding much the 

 same place that the White Pine has held in the American lumber-market. From the resin 

 of this tree Burgundy pitch is manufactured. 



While it is probable that in the future the Norway Spruce will not hold the almost 

 exclusive place in landscape planting that it has held in the past, it is likely to remain 

 one of the most important evergreen trees for this purpose. It is easily obtained from 

 nurserymen, and has many advantages over other species for the planting of hedges and 

 in groups where symmetry of growth is especially desired. There also seems to be a great 

 future for it as a forest tree in America, as it is stated by the Forest Service to be in every 

 way superior to our native spruces for reforesting the great tracts of timber land in the 

 Northeast region as well as along the mountains Southward. It does not thrive in the 

 plains region of the West. The trees grow more rapidly than those of the Red Spruce or 

 the White Spruce. There are a great many horticultural varieties recommended for orna- 

 mental planting. 



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