ADAPTATION OF CONIFERS 111 



well-drained silt loam, but it also does well in moist, black, 

 mucky soil. This plant is subject to winter sun-scorch and 

 should be planted where the rays of the sun will not fully 

 reach it in the middle of the day. Var. Smithiana is a beauti- 

 ful, low-growing, compact form. The very dark green, soft 

 foliage, gradually changing to almost purple in the fall, gives 

 this plant a special merit where low growth in formal and 

 rock-gardens is required, also for grouping in front of taller 

 varieties. It will maintain its low-growing tendencies, but 

 will spread, unlike any other arbor-vitse. It grows best in a 

 well-drained clay loam and is easily propagated from cuttings, 

 the wood being rather soft. It is perfectly hardy and does well 

 in partial shade as well as in the full sun. It is not subject to 

 sunburn in late winter, and is easily transplanted. Var. 

 Tom Thumb is the smallest of its class known, being a tufted 

 little plant of very low, compact growth, rarely exceeding 

 nine inches. It is valuable for rock and Japanese gardens and 

 the edgings of walks. The plant is propagated from cuttings 

 and is perfectly hardy in the Northwest. 



ChamoBcyparis, or Retinispora, pisifera, is an open grower 

 of upright form, the branches somewhat pendulous toward the 

 end. The foliage is light green, glaucous beneath, very graceful 

 and feathery. Var. filifera is a medium-sized pyramidal tree of 

 unusually graceful outlines, the ends of the branches drooping 

 in long filaments. This variety seems to be perfectly hardy in 

 the most extreme exposures, either to heat or cold. * It does best 

 when planted in a damp but well-drained clay loam. Var. 

 plumosa (Chamsecyparis) and its variants are not hardy in the 

 extreme North, but in the Middle West they are planted exten- 

 sively on account of the beautiful soft foliage and pleasing 

 form. These are perfectly hardy without protection even in 

 the northern parts of America. Both varieties are propagated 



