EVERGREENS: THEIR USES AI$D CULTURE 95 



White or Silver Fir. Abies concolor LindL & Gotd. In this excellent conifer 

 from the Rocky mountains it is believed we have the ornamental evergreen 

 of the future. In every way a fitting- companion for the Colorado blue spruce, it 

 is superior in that the tree retains the distinctive, silvery hue of the foliage to a 

 very great age. Of undoubted hardiness and adaptability to a wide variety of 

 soils, the enduring 1 qualities of this tree commend it for very g-eneral planting. 

 Unexcelled as a specimen tree, it may also be used in small groups or in con- 

 junction with other species, notably pines and spruces, when it should be used 

 occasionally in the foreground. As the silver fir finally becomes a towering 

 monarch one hundred and fifty feet tall, ample space for development should be 

 apportioned to it. 



Nordmann's Fir. Abies Nordmanniana Spach. From southwestern Asia, 

 Nordmann's fir has been more generally planted through the eastern states than 

 any other foreign species. While it has given satisfaction in many localities in 

 the east, on the grounds of the Experiment Station it seems to be of doubtful 

 hardiness and is therefore not recommended for general planting, unless in 

 well-sheltered situations. Its foliage is of a dark, shining green above and a 

 silvery shade below. Trees one hundred and twenty-five to one hundred and 

 fifty feet tall are frequently found in the regions of which it is a native. 



American Arborvitae, also called White Cedar. Thuya occidentalis Linn. The 

 flat compressed foliage of the American arborvitae, which consists ot numerous 

 scales overlapping each other, effectually distinguishes the tree from any other 

 conifer. It is found in that portion of the North American continent extending 

 from the latitude of Pennsylvania northward, where it often grows in swamps, 

 near the base of mountains, or in moist valleys between them. At maturity it 

 becomes a neat-looking slender cone, ranging from twenty-five to fifty feet in 

 height, with branches well retained to the ground. It is one of the very best 

 evergreens for use on lawns and lots of small size, although its extremely formal, 

 artificial shape militates against its being associated promiscuously with other 

 evergreens. The dull, brownish, unattractive color assumed by the foliage in 

 winter is the chief objection to the arborvitae, although its color is remarkably 

 bright and fresh-looking during the summer and fall months. There is no ever- 

 green, either native or introduced, which will endure as much hardship and 

 grow on as great a variety of soils, under even adverse conditions, as the arbor- 

 vitae. 



Owing to its regular habit of growth and the impunity with which it stands 

 the pruning shears, the arborvitae has become the most popular from its exten- 

 sive use in hedges and screens, for which purpose it has.no superior. When it 

 is intended to make a hedge the ground should be thoroughly dug up or culti- 

 vated and the trees planted two or three feet apart. After planting a mulch will 

 aid greatly in retaining a moisture in the soil and is essential, for the first 

 season at least. 



The marked proclivity of the arborvitae to sport has resulted in the produc- 

 tion of many named varieties, one of the very best of which is the Siberian 

 Arborvitae ( Thuya Sibirica Hort.}, a variety superior, indeed, to the species 

 itself. The Siberian has dense foliage of a darker shade of green than that of 

 the American and in form the tree is also conical but wider at the base and 

 sloping less steeply to the apex. It retains its color In winter much better than 

 the American, and is an elegant specimen tree of the greatest hardiness for any 

 situation where a very formal tree is appropriate. While it has not been so 



