ADAPTATION OF CONIFERS 57 



western side of the continent that does excellently^ in the North- 

 ern and Northeastern States. It is, however, the form from 

 the interior that is perfectly hardy in the East. The beauty 

 of the Douglas spruce is difficult to exaggerate. Typical 

 color of the foliage is dark yellow-green, but seedlings often 

 appear with glaucous-bluish foliage. It forms a handsome 

 pyramidal outline. The branches are very irregularly whorled 

 or circled on the stem and it differs very much from a spruce 

 or fir in this respect. Branches are also horizontal, with a 

 slight curve downward in the center, and turn up gracefully 

 at the ends. Occasionally they are slightly divergent. In 

 moist well-drained soil it grows rapidly and attains a height 

 of thirty-five feet in twenty-six years. Douglas spruce planted 

 on porous sandy slopes does not grow as rapidly as in more 

 congenial conditions, but it forms a sturdy dense growth and 

 presents an excellent appearance. A well-developed individual 

 on the edge of a lawn, with plenty of room for spread of 

 branches, is a beautiful object. Var. glohosa is a low-growing 

 bushy form well adapted to gardening in restricted situations. 

 Var. jpendula, with the branches drooping at the ends, is highly 

 ornamental. Var. fastigiata, with upright branches, forms a 

 narrow pyramid; whilst there is a var. fastigiata in the trade, 

 a spontaneous seedling that occurred under the observation 

 of the writer is here particularly referred to. 



Spruces. 



The spruces are remarkably beautiful trees in parks and 

 gardens when well grown and healthy. Their pyramidal out- 

 lines, with the branches commonly arranged in circles or 

 whorls, present a graceful appearance. The spruces, as a rule, 

 are not as well adapted to dry sandy soils as are pines. While 

 nearly all of them will not thrive in cold wet soils, they prefer 



