I 860 ] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
screens to break the force of winter winds : they 
are intrinsically beautiful and desirable. In sym¬ 
metry of form, richness of color, variety in habit, 
and, as in the case of some of the pines, the 
hemlock, Deodar cedar, and some others, in grace¬ 
fulness, they are hardly surpassed by any other 
trees. 
But we are not strenuous to argue the matter 
now. Indeed, there is little need of it, for the 
love of evergreens is spreading almost as rapidly 
as the mania for grapes, though perhaps not al¬ 
together among the same classes. All we now 
desire to do, is to mention a few of the newer 
evergreens which are of superior beauty, and 
which promise to be hardy. 
1. First of all, the Nootka Sound Cypress, 
Thuiopsis borealis. It is described in Sargent's 
edition of Downing, as “ a tall evergreen tree, 
reaching the hight of one hundred feet, with wide¬ 
ly expanded branches, very flexible; as it ad¬ 
vances. the limbs are covered with small blisters, 
which, on being punctured, emit a fine aromatic 
balsam, whence is derived another synonym, 
abics aromatica. It is also found in Russia, near 
Lake Tschondskoe. It is yet but very new, even 
in England; our specimens have been out two 
winters, and are perfectly hardy, as it will proba¬ 
bly prove to be in every northern part of the 
United States.” 
It stands the winter well at Newburgh, and at 
Boston. The place of its origin, Nootka Sound, 
would seem to settle the question of its robust¬ 
ness. We have embellished our own grounds 
With a specimen of it. Several of the leading 
nurserymen now advertise it for sale, at the rate 
of about a dollar per foot high. 
2. Lawson's Cypress, ( Cuprcssus Lawsoniana.) 
Of the entire hardiness of this tree north of New- 
York, we as yet stand a little in doubt, though it 
bas done well for two or three winters at Fish- 
xill Landing, N. Y., at Cincinnati, and at Cam¬ 
bridge, Mass. It resembles the Thuiopsis borealis 
somewhat, but is a little denser in its habit, and 
a darker green. It has one beautiful trait of the 
Deodar cedar, hanging down the ends of its lead¬ 
ing shoots like ostrich feathers. It was found in 
northern California and in Oregon. It grows a 
hundred feet high, and becomes one of the very 
finest of trees. We very much hope it will 
prove suitable for our northern climate. 
3. Hovey’s New Arbor Vitas. This is a seed¬ 
ling from our native Arbor Vitas, but as distinct 
as the Siberian or Chinese. It forms a pyramidal¬ 
shaped tree, densely branched, the leaves more 
delicate than those of its parent, and’ holding 
their bright green color throughout the winter. 
This last is of great importance. Of its hardi¬ 
ness there can be no question. The only doubt 
is, whether many persons will consent to pay five 
dollars a plant, which is the price now asked for 
it. But zealous amateurs will sometimes do very 
indiscreet things ! Sober people will bide their 
time, and so get their trees cheaper. 
4. Siberian Silver Fir, ( Picea pichta) Of this 
we have spoken formerly, and will now only say 
that it is one of the very finest and hardiest of 
the Silver Firs. Coming from Siberia, it ought 
to be as tough as a polar bear. It has a soft, full, 
luxuriant habit, which comforts one to look at. 
It is a medium-sized tree, seldom getting above 
thirty feet in hight. We have personal knowl¬ 
edge of its succeeding well, north of Albany. 
5 There are several other new conifers that 
promise well, but of which we cannot now speak 
with the utmost certainty. Among them is Picea 
Nordmaniana, one of the noblest of silver firs, 
from the mountains of the Crimea, and promis¬ 
ing well as to hardiness. Pinus Be i/Jwmiana re¬ 
sembles, but surpasses, the Austrian pine in beau¬ 
ty, and bids fair to rank among “ the hardies.” 
Frazer’s Silver Fir must be suitable for all the 
northern States, since it has been found wild in 
northern Vermont. Abics amabilis, A. Ccphaloni- 
ca, Picea pinsapo, and several more, promise well. 
We intend to report upon them from time to 
time, as we feel assured of their excellence and 
hardihood 
P. S.—Since writing the foregoing, we have 
met in Hovey’s Magazine, with a report on some 
of the newer evergreens, from Mr. Harris, gar¬ 
dener on the Hunnewell estate, near Boston. It 
is in substance as follows : Pinus Lambertiana, 
and P. Bcardsleyii unharmed by the frosts of last 
winter. Picea JSordmaniana , and P. pinsapo 
ditto. Abies Smithiana, and A. nobilis, ditto. 
Thuiopsis borealis, and Ccphalolaxus Fortunii, ditto. 
The Wellingtonia, or Big-Tree of California, and 
the Deodar cedar but slightly injured. 
We should be glad to learn whether these trees 
were covered by snow, or protected by straw or 
matting. If not, we are surprised at the reported 
hardiness of some of them. 
-- ---a <3-1=-—- --- 
Some of the evergreens now bought at the 
nurseries, are supposed by many to be of foreign 
origin. For instance, the Norway Pine is not 
from Norway alone, but maybe found growing 
wild in this State. It is Pinus monlicola of the 
books. 
The common Juniper, {Juniperus communis ) is 
often supposed to be imported from England and 
Sweden ; but it grows wild in central and south¬ 
ern New-York, and Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. 
It is none the less desirable on this account. It 
takes different forms. Sometimes it is upright 
and compact like a miniature Lombardy poplar; 
again, it is more open and spreading, looking 
when full grown, like an ill-built hay-stack ; again, 
it is straggling and drooping, its foliage hanging 
down almost perpendicularly from its horizontal 
170 
branches. The first style is most admired And 
we will here say that most iunipers can be trained 
into this shape by passing a cord spirally around 
the branches wherever they show a tendency to 
spread. We annex a cut of a fine, well trained 
specimen standing on our own grounds. The 
Swedish juniper, we think, takes this form more 
naturally than any other. 
The Savin ( Juniperus Sabina) is a native, though 
some species are imported. It forms a dense 
spreading thicket. Travelers on the N. Y. Cen¬ 
tral Railroad may see it on the hill-sides near 
Little Falls. It also abounds at Niagara. It may 
be made quite ornamental. 
The Cembran Pine (Pinus Cembra.) 
This is one of the newer evergreens, perfectly 
hardy, and very desirable. We have observed it 
for several years in the latitude of Albany, grow¬ 
ing by the side of the native white pine, and it 
has proved equally robust. It has not yet been 
extensively planted, but may be found in most of 
our nurseries, and at a reasonable price. It is a 
native of Switzerland, Savoy, and Piedmont, 
where it grows on the coldest mountains, and of 
Tartary and Siberia. In Europe, it is some¬ 
times styled the Aphernousli-pine, from two Ger¬ 
man words, signifying a nut-pine. The kernels 
of its cones are eatable, and in this respect it re¬ 
sembles the famous Italian Stone-pine. All trav¬ 
elers through Northern Europe speak of its grand 
and majestic appearance, crowning the ridges of 
the mountains. 
Speaking of this tree, Harte, in his Essays, ob¬ 
serves : “ Its timber is large, and has many uses 
within doors; its grain is finer and more beauti¬ 
fully variegated than deal, and the smell is more 
agreeable ; it is useful for wainscoting, flooring, 
and other joiner’s work, and the wood makes ex¬ 
cellent firing for stoves and ovens. The peasants 
of Tyrol, where this tree abounds, make various 
kinds of carved work with it, which they dispose 
of in Switzerland among the people, who are 
fond of the resinous smell which it exhales. The 
bark of the trunk is of a whitish cast, and the 
branches resemble those of the Spruce-fir. They 
are long, smooth, and are produced by fives.” 
The only objection which can be made to this 
tree, is its comparatively slaw growth—as to its 
appearance, there can be only one opinion. A 
writer in the English Gardener's Chronicle late¬ 
ly, says, speaking of a fins specimen in the pleas¬ 
ure-grounds at Osberton-Hall; “ The Pinus Cem¬ 
bra is nearly fifty feet high, and the branches, at 
twenty feet from the ground, spread si\t.y feet in 
circumference, and the trunk, at the bottom, 
girths eight feet. Few of the Pinus tribe are 
more beautiful than this ; its handsome conical 
shape, and short, rigid horizontal branches, com¬ 
bined with its color, render it particularly attrac¬ 
tive. It certainly deserves more extensive culti¬ 
vation than it has received, for, planted as a sin¬ 
gle specimen, it is really magnificent.” 
Mr. Sargent says there are two varieties. One, 
the Siberian Stone-pine, with short, dense, and 
dark green leaves ; the other, the Dwarf Cem¬ 
bran pine, found among the rocks of the Ural 
mountains. The true Cemhran pine grows fifty 
or more feet high, though it takes many years to 
reach that altitude. It makes always a very 
pretty, compact, soft-green tree, and is very de¬ 
sirable. 
The Weeping Holly.— Wherever the com¬ 
mon English holly will thrivp, this novelty may 
be expected to succeed. South of New-York 
we think, will be its best region in this country 
