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Show -s.; r V s- i s 3 - X O - ' .SO . - X 1 r t; , V Blue Spruce The blue spruce (Picea pungens) is a beautiful evergreen that is native na-tive to this Rocky mountain section. It is widely used as an ornamental because of its bluish color, but it is also an excellent windbreak tree, since it retains its branches to the ground- This tree Iras single needles that are square in cross section, stiff and sharp to the touch. It docs not do well much above 6000 feet in elevation and prefers the moist or irrigated situations on the better soils- This spruce is one of the easiest evergreens to move and can be transplanted very successfully during dur-ing the dormant season. There is hardly a. town in the United States but that has one or more specimens of this noted ornamental growing in it The blae spruce is not a fast growing grow-ing tree, especially for the first few-years; few-years; but when once established will average over one foot of growth a yi.u-. The wood is light colored and iairly soft. The bark is a gray. The color of the foliage varies ' through all shades from 8"' t sil ver blue. The small seeds are found in rough cones that are about four inches long. For a windbreak plating the trees should be set about ten feet in the row and 12 feet between rows in order or-der that the branches will meet, forming a dense hedge-like planting. |