THE BEST HARDY CONIFERS 115 



lesson to the present generation of garden lovers 

 since the benefits are theirs to enjoy. For the work 

 of proving what trees and shrubs, coniferous or other- 

 wise, will thrive here we owe a lasting debt to the 

 arboreta, to the owners of estates, and to the nur- 

 serymen who have labored in this field. Much re- 

 mains to be done; but enough has been accomplished 

 to enable us at least to avoid some of the mistakes of 

 the past. 



In the Arnold Arboretum, Boston, Mass., there is 

 growing the largest collection of species and varieties 

 of Conifers to be found anywhere on this continent, 

 and for more than forty years the work of getting 

 this collection together and developing it has been 

 continuously maintained. In general it has been 

 found that the Conifers of northeastern North Amer- 

 ica, the Rocky Mountains, northern, central, and 

 southeastern Europe, Siberia, northern China and 

 northern Japan, are hardy; that only a few of the 

 species of western North America can be safely 

 planted here; and that those of the southern United 

 States, Mexico,, Central America, southern China, 

 Formosa, the Himalayas, southeastern Asia and the 

 Southern Hemisphere in total are not hardy in New 

 England. Furthermore, not all the varieties that are 

 hardy thrive equally well, and many cannot with con- 



