122 ARISTOCRATS OF THE GARDEN 



is pleasing; but, unfortunately, it is addicted to 

 borers. The leaves are flat, lustrous green above 

 and white beneath. 



Lastly, mention must be made of the Oriental 

 Spruce (P. orientalis) which is native of the Cau- 

 casus and does very well in many parts of this 

 seaboard. It is a tree of medium size with hori- 

 zontal spreading branches, the uppermost being 

 slightly ascending. The outline is pyramidal, broken 

 by projecting branches. The leaves at maturity are 

 dark lustrous green. In spring the young shoots 

 are bright yellow and, as they lengthen, the leaves 

 become a soft delicate green, forming a beautiful con- 

 trast to the rich coloring of the mature foliage. 



In this climate most of the Spruces have weak 

 points, a great many of them lose their lower branches 

 at a comparatively early age, and a number of them 

 suffer from gall-insects. On the whole, they are less 

 satisfactory for ornamental planting than their close 

 allies the Firs. 



The common Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is cer- 

 tainly one of the finest Conifers for general plant- 

 ing. There are several varieties; the best of these 

 are Sargentiana, which forms a remarkable dense 

 flat-topped bush with pendent branches and branch- 

 lets; compacta, a densely branched bush, ovoid in 



