KOCKY UOUHTAIH EVESCKEENS. ' 



■triking variaf ons. Many have the most exquIsHe and fascinat- 

 ing beauty — ermine and emerald blended. 



While visiting the princely estate of H. H. Hunnewell at 

 Wellesley, Mass., I noticed some of these trees of striking beauty 

 and symmetry, very rich in their foliage. I looked at the labels 

 — ^what ponderous and high sounding names they had — well, pll» 

 them on, they could stand it. They were nothing but our own 

 glorious Concolor after all, and that was enough. I was glad 

 to see them. They were old friends doing better in their new 

 dome than in their mountain fastnesses. 



A singular thing about them is, though their native home 

 Is far Inland and they thrive at a high altitude, they make one 

 of the finest coast trees that can be secured. Many Conifers 

 cannot endure the salt air, but these seem to thrive on the very 

 shore, defying old ocean to do his worst. While the sheen of 

 other trees will fade with passing years, these retain their glory, 

 keeping their attractiveness as the Christian does his joy, to 

 the very last. In order to see these trees in all their gloi-y you 

 need to visit them while bearing their cones. Here is a grove 

 of them. All have on their gala dress. Some are light green, 

 some have a darker color. The last year's foliage is of one 

 tint, and the new growth has a lighter tinge. There are many 

 different shades and what is strange is, that on one tree there 

 will be cones of light green, and on the next they will be deep 

 purple. They grow erect on the top of the tree. They are 

 about the size of the ears of early sweet corn. As they mature 

 the color seems to deepen, and from the cones there exudes a 

 gum as clear as crystal. Now stand back while the gentle 

 breeze and the sun put all that beauty on exhibition — there the 

 emerald, the sapphire and the silver, the older and newer 

 growth with varying tints, the cones In contrast with the 

 rich colored needles — the sparkling gum flashing like diamonds 

 Take It all In all, there Is loveliness enough In that grove to woo 

 a man half across the continent. From specimens here and 

 there In the Ea&t one has no conception of the coming glory. T. 

 C. Thurlow of West Newbury, Mass., has some splendid speci- 

 mens, very rich In color, from collected trees I sent him' years 

 ago. On the Tenney estate of Methuen, Mass., are some grand 

 types of this variety. 



Well, you ask, what is the use of this tree? Can we raise 

 It on the plains? Will It grow In our parks and private grounds? 

 Can we depend upon It? Yes, on a hill in prairie sod, near 

 the town of Friend, Neb., In the cemetery, I saw some of these 

 trees growing vigorously after three consecutive years of ter- 

 rible drouth and heat. In the full blaze of the sun and full sweep 

 of the hot winds. 



The winter of '03 and '04 played sad havoc with these trees 

 at the Minnesota experiment grounds. The trouble, doubtless, 

 was the seeds were from the foothills Instead of the high altl- 



