328 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
from Asia Minor; are five fine dark green species of erect 
and slender habit, bearing some resemblance to one another 
and all of them well adapted for limited areas where there is 
not room for wide spreading species. All get thin in their 
lower branches after a few years and thus lose much of their 
attractiveness. They are inore useful in the hands of 
experienced planters for producing special or formal effects 
than they are for general planting although Balsamea is one 
of the best cheap, rapid growers for use as temporary nurse 
plants or fillers in new plantations. Cilieica and Siberica 
transplant quite easily, but they start growth so early in 
spring that their available season is much shorter than that 
of most other conifers. 
Abies cephalonica, from Greece is another magnificent 
aristocrat among its congeners. The short leaved, dull green 
seedlings of this species as imported from Europe are very 
inferior to some of the best specimens seen in this country 
which have much larger, stiffer foliage of a glaucus shade and 
are in every way much finer. But grafted plants of these 
are difficult subjects and slow to develop into good speci¬ 
mens. For this reason good plants are scarce and high 
be hoped a remedy can be found, for it would be a great loss 
to be deprived of the Norway spruce. 
There are several fine varieties of Picea excelsa possessing 
the good qualities of the typical form with interesting 
variations. The pendulous form known as Wales weeping, 
with erect trunk and long, horizontal branches with pendu¬ 
lous branchlets and alata, another variety of similar charac¬ 
ter but with pendulous branchlets longer and more slender 
than the Wales, are both very effective. The weeping form 
known as inversa, or more frequently called inverta, is a 
freak, liable to assume almost any sprawling shape and 
while very effective when appropriately introduced, is not of 
general adaptability for ordinary surroundings. 
In Picea excelsa aurea , the new growth is of a fine golden 
hue for about one month and is then very showy but this 
color soon changes to the normal green which differs but 
little from the type. 
Picea excelsa compacta and Gregoriana form compact 
little bushes larger in diameter than in height and are very 
useful for small yards and formal gardens where an ever¬ 
green that will stay small is needed. 
A LIVE MEMBER FROM 
SOUTHERN NURSERYMEN’S ASSOCIATION 
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, AUGUST 19, 1609 
CHASE NURSERV COMPANY 
All Charges Paid 
Chase, Alabama 
o 
OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE 
To Whom it May Concern: 
This is to Certify, That I have carefully inspected the Southern Nursery¬ 
men assembled at Huntsville and do find them a husky bunch, fully equip¬ 
ped mentally and physically for their strenuous life. I find no hayseed 
sprouting in their hair and they all have their 
eye teeth cut. 
At the present time I find many of them are 
suffering from Hungerata Wantoeta and attached 
hereto will be found a formula for this trouble, 
which if properly applied will give at least tem¬ 
porary relief. 
^?cf I'* 1 ' 
Horticulturist 
The Unique Menu Card at the Chase Nursery Co.’s Dinner 
priced but the increased culture of them should be en¬ 
couraged. 
Turning to the Piceas or spruces: For the past ioo 
years Norway spruce has been, perhaps, more generally 
planted in the eastern United States than any other conifer 
and has been of great value. Within the past ten years and 
more conspicuously within the last five years,many large and 
flourishing Norway spruces have unexpectedly shown signs 
of decline and after lingering for a few years, die. Small 
patches of dead or brown spots appear on the leaves, giving a 
rusty and unsightly appearance to the tree, until many of 
these leaves finally drop either that year or the next, leaving 
the tree thin or naked looking. Small twigs and larger 
branches continue to die piecemeal until finally the whole 
tree is dead. I have heard poverty of soil, smoke and gases 
with which the atmosphere is charged by the ever increasing 
consumption of coal, fungus diseases, etc., attributed as the 
cause of this disorder, none of which appear an entirely 
satisfactory explanation and I do not know that it has been 
clearly demonstrated just what is the cause of the trouble. 
It is a condition greatly to be regretted and for which it is to 
Picea polita, the tiger tail spruce from Japan, is a hardy, 
dense, symmetrical plant of moderate growth with stiff, 
sharp pointed leaves and is very desirable for lawn speci¬ 
mens in grounds of moderate size. It may possibly attain a 
height of ten feet in twice as many years. It is in my 
grounds, the latest evergreen to start into growth in spring a 
characteristic which sometimes makes it very convenient 
in supplying the needs of belated planters and it can be 
safely recommended for ordinary locations. 
Picea orientalis, the Eastern spruce from Asia Minor is a 
gem of this genus with much to recommend and nothing to 
disparage it for general use in almost any position. Elegant 
enough for the finest park and neat enough for the humblest 
cottage and withal hardy enough to stand uninjured in cold, 
bleak situations where the leaves are blown off of Norway 
and Hemlock spruces and they reduced to skeleton. East¬ 
ern spruce and Nordman’s fir are indigenous in the same 
forests in the Caucasus and they seem particularly suitable 
companions for associating in ornamental planting, the 
compact symmetry and elegance of habit of each harmoniz¬ 
ing admirably and the distinctive shades of green contrast- 
