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Concolor Fir {14 natural size} 
Coneolor or White Fir 
(Abies Concolor) 
NE of the most outstanding firs, because 
of its ability to withstand severe winter 
conditions, is the Concolor, or White Fir. 
While the Concolor Fir grows in its native range 
over a considerable north and south area in the 
Rocky Mountains, trees of the most desirable 
habit, color, and hardiness come from Colorado. 
These trees are widely recommended by all 
writers on Evergreens as the one Fir best-suited 
to withstand conditions of heat and drought and 
are generally the most satisfactory of all Firs. 
There is some variation in the color and the 
foliage of the Concolor Fir. Many trees are of a 
decidedly bluish color; others are green. All, 
however, run toward a slightly glaucous tint. In 
ultimate developments there is a wide variation 
in what may be expected of this tree. In forest 
conditions, when planted close together, it 
reaches to a considerable height, but trees planted 
in ornamental plantings generally do not reach 
more than fifty or sixty feet, with a considerable 
spread of branches, perhaps as much as ten to 
twelve feet. When small, these trees have a 
tendency to grow rather irregular and for a few 
years do not make a symmetrical, even growth. 
When fully established, however, they carry a 
beautiful, even spread of branches and are one of 
the most beautiful of all Evergreens of this type. 
Concolor Fir is useful in landscape work in 
various ways. There is hardly a tree among all 
Evergreens which is more beautiful when used as 
a single specimen. It is also useful in forming 
screens, heavy borders and wind breaks. 
A well-known evergreen authority writes: 
‘*Concolor Fir is the showiest of all Firs, because 
it is the nearest to blue. In my opinion it is the 
cheeriest of all evergreens in winter. It retains 
its lower branches, has no insect enemies, and is 
the best Fir tree to withstand heat and drought.” 
The detailed picture above shows the foliage 
of Concolor Fir, approximately one-half natural 
size. 

On the right is a picture in natural colors of a 
specimen of Concolor Fir photographed at the 
Hill Nursery. This tree was approximately nine 
feet in height. It has had some trimming, in 
order to produce a compact growth. The color 
is slightly more bluish than most Concolor Fir. 
The correct color is more nearly as shown in the 
small foliage picture above 
‘irs 
(Abies) 
HE family of Firs is of great value in 
landscaping. They have a symmetrical, 
shapely form, and, when properly se- 
lected for their site, they are long-lived. In 
old age they develop into majestic subjects. 
The localities of the world which produce 
most of the Firs are the Cascade Mountains 
of Oregon and Washington, the Rocky Moun- 
tains, particularly in Colorado, Japan, and 
some countries bordering on the Mediterranean 
Sea. 
There are approximately thirty species of 
Fir in cultivation. In addition, there are 
probably an equal number of horticultural 
varieties. It is a characteristic of most Firs 

that they require a moist, but well drained 
soil, and that they thrive better in a humid 
climate. For this reason the beautiful and 
immense Firs of the far northwest, such as the 
Silver Fir, Cascade Fir, Great Silver Fir, and 
the Red Fir are not suited to planting in the 
middle west, the northern or the southern 
states. 
Likewise, many of the interesting Japanese 
Firs, such as the Nikko Fir, the Veitch Fir, and 
the Sakhalin Fir, are not permanently satis- 
factory in the great central area of the United 
States. 
The Nordman Fir, from the Caucasus 
Mountains, the Greek Fir, or the Algerian, or 
Pinsapo, the Spanish Fir, are of little value in 
that part of the United States subject to severe 
cold, or drying winds, or extreme heat. 
