344 HORTICULTURAL MANUAL. 



to the ground. These trees are still making an annual 

 growth. As obtained near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, a 

 large per cent of the plants have the blue tinge of color of 

 Picea pungens. 



The silver spruce (Picea pungens) comes to us from the 

 eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. We also have some 

 old trees of this beautiful species, brought to the prairies 

 during the Pike's Peak gold excitement many years ago. 

 These old trees seem to show added beauty each year. 

 Those that had little show of color when young now are 

 nearly as silvery as those that were the favorites when 



FIG. 94. Colorado silver spruce (Picea pungens). (After Maynard.) 



small. This grand species also seems to do well nearly 

 across the continent. The common name "blue spruce " 

 is not expressive, and properly belongs to the caerulea 

 variety of the white spruce grown in French nurseries. 

 Silver spruce is far better, as the finest specimens have a 

 silvery-blue expression, especially as grown in the dry air 

 of the West. (Fig. 94.) 



The Engelmann spruce (Picea Engelmanni) is another 

 noble species of eastern Colorado. It is a slower grower 



