Most comforting words to the nurserymen! - " the most hardy, the most beautiful, and the most rapid growing of them all" - the evergreens. Pretty high praise that, Mr. Downing. My good old father used to say just so, when I was a boy, about the Lombardy Poplars. Yet folks don't think so now. It may be all true, however, about the Deodar; and if it shall so prove, it will be perfectly magnificent-for to excel our pines and hemlocks, in their stately and majestic growth in the open lands, will be both a lofty and a spreading merit in its character. Let us have a Deodar Cedar thirty feet high, and then we'll look at it, and pass a judgment upon its excellence.

A saving clause, however, guards your eulogium - " the most popular of all the new evergreens yet proved in this country." Good. My dear sir, the Pines, the Hemlocks, the Firs and the Spruces, of North America, are unrivalled in breadth and grandeur, by any evergreens in the whole universe.

"The piny top of Ida," of which Thompson sung in his gorgeous Summer tale of Damon and Musidora, would shrink into insignificance by the side of many of our pine-capped American hills. Yon do well to praise the Pines and Hemlocks; and oar country dwellers - on propitious soils - will do equally well to plant, and train them to the finest development of their luxuriance and beauty.

Notes On Evergreen Trees #1

Notwithstanding the large number of Evergreen-trees introduced into this country, I doubt very much any one being able to name more than six varieties that are perfectly unexceptional, as regards hardiness, shape, color, adaptation to every soil, etc. Now I am aware I am going contrary to the favorite hobby of some scores of wealthy amateurs, who have both the time and means to gratify their tastes by protecting the more tender varieties through the winter; yet those who have not the space to devote to so large a collection, are often at a loss to select such as are adapted to their particular situation. After experiencing such a severe winter as the one we have just passed through, I, for one, am willing to discard quite a number of half hardy trees from my list. Who has not frequently heard the remark, lately, that we may never have so hard a test for our tender plants again? And now perhaps just as they become fully established, and are a pride to the owner, some bright frosty morning you will find the thermometer 20° or 80° below zero, and they are forever after an eyesore, being the fashionable color of Victoria Brown; therefore but few of the rarer trees will answer the purpose of a limited grower.

Upon examining several of my old specimen trees after spring opened, I was exceedingly disappointed in finding them entirely dead. The Cupressus funebris, three feet high, killed root and branch; Buxus arborescens, do.; Araucaria imbricata has been lessening every year, and finished its course this spring. Taxus bac-cata, hibernica, pyramidalis, 4c, killed nearly to the ground. Euonymus japonica and its varieties about used up. Cedrus libani and deodara, the former dead, and the latter, a tall beautiful plant, now resembles an old broom, worn to the stump. European Silver fir (P. pectinata), contrary to my expectations, is completely spoiled; even our common cedars and junipers are severely injured.

And now for my list of six Evergreens, which embraces the following: -

The Norway Spruce (A. Excelsa)

The Norway Spruce (A. Excelsa) stands pre-eminent and unrivalled; it combines all that the most fastidious could expect, as it is applicable to all situations and soils, whether in the neat front yard of the modest cottage or farm house, or the more extended lawn of the wealthy proprietor; standing alone, it becomes the pattern of a perfect tree, being of a regular pyramidal shape, a graceful drooping habit, rich green color, which is not affected by the most intense cold, and an extremely rapid growth; the foliage may not be quite so delicate as the following; yet there is something so majestic in its appearance as almost to command respect.

Hemlock Spruce (A. Canadensis)

Hemlock Spruce (A. Canadensis) is most assuredly a formidable rival to the preceding; it is particularly applicable to lawns where it will have room to develop its beauty. Some superb specimens are in the grounds of the late Samuel and Joshua Pearce, near West Chester, Pa.

Bhotan Pine (P. Excelsa)

Bhotan Pine (P. Excelsa) is, in my estimation, the finest by far of all the pines, being close and thick, contrary to the majority of the family; the leaves are long and handsome; its branches have a tendency to droop, rendering it particularly graceful; it proves entirely hardy with me, having grown it for six years; my specimen has reached the height of nine feet In one locality I have heard com-plaints of an insect destroying the leader, but as it does not appear to be a regular complaint I have retained it on the list.

White Spruce (A. Alba)

White Spruce (A. Alba), known with us as the "Double White Spruce." It makes a magnificent tree, although some of the species approach so near the A. Nigra as hardly to be distinguishable from that variety; it is easily known by the peculiar bluish green leaves and numerous short branches; it is regular in its growth, and makes a thick mass of foliage.

American Arbor-Vitae (T. Occidentalis)

American Arbor-Vitae (T. Occidentalis) is known too well to need a description, although it richly deserves one. Any person who would plant the Chinese variety in preference to the former, I think, must certainly be devoid of taste, as the latter is, at best, but an open, straggling grower, and is rather tender also.

Siberian Arbor-Vita (T. Siberica)

Siberian Arbor-Vita (T. Siberica), although rather more of a stranger, promises to be a much greater acquisition than I expected. The color is of rich dark green, of a perfect shape, extreme hardiness, and will make a splendid specimen either planted singly or in groups.

So much for my list; and now I hope it may wake up a retort, as if there is a better selection to be made I should like to own them.

N. B. - I unintentionally omitted that my Cryptomeria japonica was used similar to Mr. H. W. Sargent's, of Woodnethe, having great difficulty in keeping it heretofore, but the past winter it had no protection, and has lived beautifully; but may go next winter, who knows J