The tallest hardy conifer of the East, reaching 150 
feet. The white pine (Pinus Strobus) 
retain its mature beauty as long as the white 
pine. It grows better in a moderately rich 
soil, and it likes abundance of nourishment. 
It is rather formidable in appearance, but by 
no means stiff, for its branches, which droop, 
extend far out, which gives the tree a most 
pleasing outline. The Norway spruce at- 
tains a height of 100 feet. 
It is among the hardiest of the conifers, and 
will withstand strong winds. ‘These trees 
are too often planted in close proximity to 
each other, with the result that in a few years 
they become scraggly with many dead 
branches, which has made them unpopular 
with many people. Given plenty of room 
to grow, it will become a graceful and hand- 
some specimen, retaining its lower branches. 
THE BEST EVERGREEN HEDGE 
By general consent the hemlock (Tsuga 
Canadensis), is accorded the honors as the 
most ornamental of our eastern evergreens. 
The branches have a drooping habit, and 
grow from the trunk irregularly, thus avoid- 
The common black spruce (Picea nigra) is always 
disfigured by its cones, and is a slow grower 
The fastest growing conifer, reaching 100 feet. The 
Norway spruce (Picea excelsa) 
ing the stiff appearance so prevalent among 
the spruces. It looks well planted in clumps, 
or as single specimens. 
Some people consider the hemlock hard 
to transplant, but with me it is one of the 
most easily moved evergreens. Near the 
seashore it does not thrive as a rule, but if 
once it becomes established, it will make a 
luxuriant growth. 
As a hedge plant the hemlock surpasses all 
other evergreens. It stands trimming well, 
and on account of its small foliage and slender 
branches always has a graceful appearance. 
Pruning is the important thing in keeping a 
hedge up to the standard. For the first few 
years after planting little pruning will be 
necessary. An evergreen hedge takes longer 
to acquire shape than the more common 
deciduous hedges, but if plants about two 
feet high are used in planting, it will not take 
more than six or eight years to grow a well 
formed hedge. 
THE BEST BLUE FOLIAGE 
Among the conifers of the highest color, 
none equals the Colorado blue spruce (Picea 
pungens, var. glauca). ‘There are several 
forms of this in the trade, varying somewhat 
in intensity, or brilliancy. The best of all is 
known as Koster’s. ‘The color of the foliage 
of this tree is a beautiful steel blue, and when 
the tree has attained over ten feet in height, it - 
makes a very imposing appearance, espec- 
ially in early summer, just after its new 
growth has been made. It is a slow growing 
tree and has the characteristically stiff habit 
of the spruce, but makes a beautifully sym- 
metrical tree. 
It is commonly planted as a lawn specimen, 
but it looks much better when planted in 
groups, which is the case with all these stiff 
growing trees. Its high price, however, pre- 
cludes its very extensive use in masses. A 
small specimen two and a half feet high can 
be procured for five dollars. 
It will become a tree of great beauty on the 
lawn, but its setting must not interfere with 
the coloring of other evergreens. It is one 
of the most hardy of the spruces. Its one 
18 
The best dwarf pine grows six feet high. The Mugho 
pine (Pinus Montana, var. Mughus) 
bad point is that it is comparatively short- 
lived; at about thirty-five years the lower 
branches die, and the base becomes ragged. 
Therefore, in landscape effects, it should 
always have low shrubbery in the foreground. 
PROBABLY THE BEST FOR WINDBREAKS 
As a windbreak, as a shelter for buildings, 
or as a screen for unsightly objects, white 
spruce (Picea alba), is particularly good. 
Its ability to stand the trials of bleak winds 
is well assured, and it is unquestionably the 
most hardy of the native spruces. 
The white spruce is a quick growing tree, 
ranking next to the Norway spruce or the 
white pine in that respect. This tree usually 
grows sixty to seventy feet in height but occa- 
sionally reaches one hundred ard fifty feet. 
The color of the foliage is a light, glaucous 
green, and when young it forms an elegant 
tree of a regular conical shape. Its habit is 
dense, the branches and foliage making an 
almost solid mass, which is of course so de- 
sired in a tree to be used for a windbreak. 
A little attention to the proper planting of 
a windbreak will repay one. It should not 
be a mere straight row of trees, as is so 
commonly seen. 
A continuous belt of trees planted irreg- 
ularly makes a much more pleasing effect 
is Koster’s Colo- 
The best blue foliaged evergreen 
rado spruce (Picea pungens, var. glauca) 
