28 
House & Garden 
In our native pitch pine, the 
Pinus rigida of arborculture, 
is found a con i fe r which 
seems to have little preference 
as to soil. Open and closed 
cones are shown here 
Young and old cones of the 
Norway pine. As shown in 
the upper right side of the 
picture, the cone clings to the 
branch for a long time after 
maturity 
the speed with which an evergreen attains ma¬ 
turity may enter into consideration in its can¬ 
didacy for first honors. If it is all of the 
other things and a good grower besides, then it 
is surely the king of all the tribe. 
Is there such a conifer? 
An Ideal Species 
There is—just one. This is the white pine 
(Pinus strobus), on all counts unquestionably 
the finest evergreen tree in the country, if not 
in the world. The region of its nativity is ex¬ 
tensive, starting with Newfoundland to Mani¬ 
toba on the north, covering all of the northern 
states to Iowa and Pennsylvania, then narrow¬ 
ing to follow the mountains to Kentucky, Ten¬ 
nessee and northern Georgia. It grows almost 
equally well in fertile soil or in sterile, on river 
banks, flatlands or uplands; but it takes com¬ 
plete possession only in situations where the 
soil is light and fairly dry. 
The number five seems to be the mystic sym¬ 
bol of the white pine; its needle leaves are 
clustered in little bundles or fascicles of fives, 
and its branches grow in whorls usually of fives, 
around the trunk or leader. This is in its youth, 
however; as it matures and passes into the 
dignity of greater years, the regularity disap¬ 
pears, and the tree becomes one of the most 
picturesque specimens in the world. Thus it 
fulfills our third requirement. 
In the matter of color, there is no perceptible 
change during winter; but the old leaves of the 
white pine do annually turn yellow and fall, 
either in September or June. Thus for a little 
time the tree may look as if something were 
wrong with it. 
This is what happens: The leaves of the 
white pine persist through one winter and are 
“cast” usually in the autumn preceding the 
second. Of course, this happens each year, 
just as it happens that new leaves venture forth 
Pcrhap-s winter is the season when one best appreciates 
evergreens. Practically, they are valuable as wind¬ 
breaks and shelters for birds; and esthetically, as 
color contrasts to their white background 
each year in little tufts, to take their turn at 
life for a summer and a winter and another 
summer. The interval of this leaf shedding is 
not long, however; and when it is over, the 
tree is as perfect in color as it is in form and 
every other way. 
Specimens sometimes reach a height of 250' 
and develop trunks that are 4' in diameter— 
yes, even 6', once in a while—but the more 
usual size is a height of 100' with a trunk 3' 
through. Karely are such splendid monarchs 
to be found now, however,—and almost never 
in cultivation. Naturally it takes a long time 
for one to grow to this size; and white pines 
have been planted only a comparatively short 
time, as ornamental trees. 
White Pine Habits 
Until they are about seven years old, white 
pines do not grow rapidly; after that they are 
as rapid growing as any evergreen that is 
worth having at all. They are long lived, per¬ 
fectly hardy, and not the victims of disease 
save that of late there has been some trouble 
with a fungus that seems to threaten them 
seriously. Care and a little watchfulness will 
not allow this to become established, however; 
and the cottony scale which is practically the 
only insect enemy, will not linger if he is inter¬ 
cepted on his first appearance with a mild 
spray or with a determined brushing away. 
On wet or ill-drained soils greater care must 
be exercised than on the dry soil that the pine 
naturally chooses for its home. As a general 
rule, it should be the practice to select the light 
and upland places for them rather than low and 
wet or heavy lands. Always remember, too, 
that white pines transplant better as small 
specimens than as large, owing to their habit 
of forming a deep reaching tap root. Trees 
up to 8' in height are perfectly safe to use if 
they are dug and shipped with a carefully 
secured ball of earth. 
Four Different Spruces 
I am going to put the white spruce ( Picea 
alba, or Picea Canadensis, it is sometimes 
called) second on the list, although spruces 
generally lack adaptability to climate. Grow¬ 
ing naturally in the cold sections of the country, 
the white spruce is less susceptible to heat and 
drought than almost any other member of the 
family; and it is the one evergreen tree that 
consistently preserves the beauty of its youth. 
Always dense pyramids, trees fifty years old 
and over still hold their lower branches and 
still grow annually at their tops, reaching ever 
upward toward the sky. 
As a specimen tree, a dense group for shelter 
purposes, or a closely planted hedge, sheared 
and kept to trim and severe lines, the white 
spruce is equally good. It will grow on the 
greatest variety of soils, plenty of moisture be¬ 
ing the one thing most nearly essential to its 
maintenance. Naturally of shallow root 
growth, this tree does not offer the transplant¬ 
ing difficulties which the pines do, and trees 
of considerable size are as easily shifted as 
very much smaller specimens of tap rooted 
species. Never undertake to move them when 
the young growth is active; wait until they 
stop growing, or else get the work done before 
they start. And manage, if possible, to get it 
done when a reasonable amount of rain is fairly 
sure during the month ensuing. 
The Norway spruce ( Picea excelsa) is the 
one that has been planted so lavishly through¬ 
out the country for fifty years or longer; I speak 
of it simply because I wish to make the dis- 
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