OUR NOKTHERH AND SOUTHERN CONIFERS. 51 



recommend It, even for Massachusetts where It grows wild. 

 There Is a charming native grove of these trees In the Arnold 

 Arboretum of Boston, where I used to recline on the soft needles 

 which carpeted the ground. This was on a Nprth slope where 

 the sun had but little effect. 



The PIceas or Spruces. Hemember the trees with drooping 

 cones are Spruces or PIceas. The trees with upright cones are 

 Firs or Abies. In the old system they were mixed together 

 and even now writers will say Abies PIceas, which leads to end- 

 less contusion. 



The Black Spruce — PIcea Nigra. The needles are one-fourth 

 to two-thirds of an inch long. The cones are dark purple when 

 young, and reddish when ripe. These trees reach from the 

 Northern states, where they often grow in dense forests, down 

 as far as North Carolina. They grow to a height of 30 to 60 

 feet. The wood is light, straight grained and strong, and is used 

 for masts <and framing lumber. 



White Spruce — Plcea Alba. The needles of this species are 

 a little longer than those of the Black Spruce. This for orna- 

 mentation is a most charming tree, symmetrical and graceful; a 

 beautiful poem in green. In the deep woods it is often of the 

 Glauca or Silver type, having a sheen much like that of the 

 Pungens. This grows in the North and is largely used for paper, 

 thousands of acres being worked up every year for this purpose. 

 We are glad to note that the lumbermen are making an effort 

 to save the young trees, to secure a perpetual forest. Large 

 tracts of these trees are found in our Northeastern states, a belt; 

 of themj swinging over Wisconsin, Minnesota, and coming down 

 on the Black Hills. It is this latter type which is so success- 

 ful and popular all through the west. 



The Balsam Fir. This is a very beautiful and symmetrical 

 tree, growing in graceful proportions to a height of 30 to 60 feet. 

 The leaves are silvery on the under side and green on the up- 

 per. It is a beautiful tree for the lawn in the Eastern and 

 middle states but Is not a success west of the Missouri river. 

 But the Concolor 3Ir of the Rockies, a much better tree every 

 way, takes its place in the West where it succeeds admirably. 



The White Cedar. This grows largely in northern swamps. 

 The trees are from 30 to 75 feet tall. They are often closely 

 packed so that there Is an imnnense burden to the acre. Tre- 

 mendous inroads are being made on the swamps, posts, railroad 

 ties and telegraph poles by the million are required and the 

 question cornea up, what substitute can be found for this valU" 

 able tree when the supply is exhausted? As the seedlings are 

 easily gathered In the forests they are put on the market at 

 a very low price and efforts are made to sell themi for hedges 

 all through the prairie states and thousands have been sold 

 In Kansas and Nebraska, but they are utterly worthless. In 

 Vieir own habitat. In a. colder climate and always with wet feet. 



