Hospitality the Year 'Round 187 



"Evergreens, although the seeds of the various 

 species may fall in the autumn, winter, or spring, 

 are placed in a class by themselves because their 

 usefulness throughout the entire year can hardly 

 be overstated. The red cedar, whose fruit per- 

 sists throughout the year, and is fed upon by 

 at least twenty-five species of birds, is probably 

 the most popular tree in the country for nesting 

 sites, and is the hunting ground for countless 

 warblers and other insectivorous birds. The 

 spruces are almost as popular, as are also the 

 pines and hemlocks, and all of them furnish 

 protection in winter, as well as shade in summer. 

 Of our native spruces, P. canadensis and P. 

 rubra seem only to flourish in the higher altitudes 

 or in the more northern States and are rather 

 difficult to grow successfully elsewhere. In 

 Eastern Massachusetts P. canadensis is perhaps 

 the better tree, as P. rubra grows but slowly. 

 P. nigra, which is better adapted for lower al- 

 titudes, and ordinarily drags out its weary, 

 straggling existence in our swamps, will some- 

 times do well if planted in dryer soil. 



" For those who do not live in a locality where 

 our native spruces can be grown successfully, 

 the old-fashioned Norway spruce, if free from 

 the spruce louse {Chermes abietis), has always 

 been a very attractive tree. During the winter 



