EDITOR'S PREFACE ix 



conifers, unlike the fruits of other kinds of plants. In pines, the 

 cones do not mature till the second or even the third year, and 

 in some species they persist till the enlarging limb grows them 

 into the solid wood. This deliberate and durable quality is 

 quite in keeping with the character of the tree itself. These 

 cones are of comely shape, so much so that from early times 

 they have been used as suggestion in the forms of art, and the 

 shape has become an inheritance in literature. 



The planter's interest in evergreens is of two kinds — to 

 grow a collection of different genera and species, to incor- 

 porate them as parts in a landscape picture. These two 

 purposes are often in conflict, although either one is legitimate. 

 The happiest result is no doubt a thoughtful combination of 

 the two efforts, unless one desires to make only an arboretum; 

 and yet the arboretum may itself have an artistic quality. 



L. H. BAILEY. 



Ithaca, N. Y.. May 1, 1923. 



