8. =Pìcea orientàlis=, L. (EASTERN OR ORIENTAL SPRUCE.) Leaves very short, ½ in. long, 4-sided, rigid, stout, rather obtuse, dark shining green, entirely surrounding the branches. Cones 2½ to 3 in. long, cylindrical, with soft, thin, loose, rounded scales, uneven on the edges. A beautiful, conical, slow-growing, compact tree, reaching the height of 75 ft.; often cultivated; from the Black Sea. Hardy. GENUS =95. TSÙGA.= (HEMLOCKS.) Leaves evergreen, scattered, flat, narrowed to a green petiole, appearing 2-ranked by the direction they take, whitened beneath. Fertile catkins and cones on the end of last year's branchlets. Cones pendulous, maturing the first year; scales thin, persistent. [Illustration: T. Canadénsis.] 1. =Tsùga Canadénsis=, Carr. (COMMON HEMLOCK.) Leaves short-petioled, linear, ½ in. long, obtuse, dark green above and white beneath; the young leaves in the spring a very light green. Cones oval, ½ to ¾ in. long, pendent, of few (20 to 40) scales. A large, very beautiful tree, 50 to 80 ft. high, abundant in rocky woods, and cultivated throughout; spray light and delicate. [Illustration: T. Caroliniàna.] 2. =Tsùga Caroliniàna=, Engelm. (MOUNTAIN-HEMLOCK.) This is similar to the last; its leaves are larger, glossier, more crowded; its cones are larger, and have wider and more spreading scales; the tree is smaller, rarely growing 40 ft. high. Wild, but scarce, in the higher Alleghanies, south; beginning to be cultivated north, and probably hardy throughout. [Illustration: T. Siebòldii.] 3. =Tsùga Siebòldii.= (JAPAN HEMLOCK.) Leaves ½ to ¾ in. long, linear, obtuse to notched at the tip, smooth, thick, dark green above, with two white lines below. Cones scarcely 1 in. long, elliptical, solitary, terminal, obtuse, quite persistent; scales pale brown. A beautiful small tree, 20 to 30 ft. high, with an erect trunk, dark-brown bark, and numerous, pale, slender branchlets. Introduced from Japan, and probably hardy throughout. GENUS =96. ÀBIES.= (THE FIRS.) Leaves evergreen, flat, scattered, generally whitened beneath, appearing somewhat 2-ranked by the directions they take. Fertile catkins and cones erect on the upper side of the spreading branches. Cones ripening the first year; their scales thin and smooth, and the bracts generally exserted; scales and bracts breaking off at maturity and falling away, leaving the axis on the tree. A great number of species and varieties have been planted in this country, but few if any besides those here given do at all well in our dry and hot climate. * Cones 6 to 8 in. long; leaves blunt at tip. (=A.=) =A.= Leaves over an inch long 10, 11. =A.= Leaves an inch or less long 12. * Cones 3½ to 6 in. long. (=B.=) =B.= Leaves 2 in. or more long, 2-ranked 9. =B.= Leaves 1 in. or less long. (=C.=) =C.= Leaves acute at tip 7, 8.