162 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



derosa in its babyhood will attend their funeral, and then go on to a 

 noble old age. 



We have, then, four pines which, for a time at least, will do well 

 on the plains, and if ever the conditions change — giving us a moder- 

 ate rainfall — they will be a success. 



SPRUCES. 



Of the spruce never plant on the plains the white, the black, or 

 the Norway. It is no use. The winter drouth will kill them. But 

 there are spruces which for thousands of years have endured the dry 

 weather and the hot suns and dry air, and they are not affected by 

 these conditions. 



The Douglas spruce is the tree for the millions. In the eastern 

 nurseries I noticed it made the most vigorous growth of any of the 

 conifers. Its habitat reaches from the eastern slope of the Rockies 

 to the Pacific coast. Our chief of forestry says that nowhere on the 

 face of the earth is there so much lumber to the acre as this produces. 

 This spring I tried the experiment of planting trees from two to three 

 feet, strong and stocky, such as grow in open spaces. I planted quite 

 a quantity of that size in the open ground at Beulah and Pueblo and 

 also some under the screen at Franklin. Ninety per cent lived and 

 grew as thrifty as Nor ways of the same size from the nursery. Of 

 late years we have had severe May frosts which have injured the 

 tender shoots, yet for all that they have made a fine growth. The 

 foliage is soft and the tree has almost endless variations. Some rigid 

 like the Pungens, some pendulous, some of light soft green, and some 

 of deep blue with silver tints. It is easy in selecting trees especially 

 in the higher altitudes to secure the richer colors. Temple and 

 Beard, of Cambridge, Mass., secured 500 last spring of the finest 

 sheen for their eastern market. This tree handles easily. There is 

 but a small per cent of loss, and as trees of large size can be secured, 

 there is a great saving of time. It is somewhat difficult to raise plants 

 from seed when the weather is too hot. 



The Picea Pungens is one of the hardiest of trees, growing well in 

 Washington, D. C, and even in North Carolina. It is adapted to a 

 wide range of soil and climate and is a great favorite for lawn and 

 cemeteries. Its sheen is of marvelous beauty while it is young, but 

 it does not retain its beauty like Concolor. The Picea Englemanii is 



