Question
I found a conical shaped tree in upstate New York that I thought to be a black spruce, but when the cones grew, they were a little longer.  I then narrowed it down to a white spruce, but I am not sure if it is that, or a red spruce.  The cone's length were around 2 to 2 and 1/4", and the immature cones were very skinny and slender,clustered at the top. Do you know what type of spruce this is, and is there a good way to tell the difference between the three(White/Red/Black)?  
     
     Also, I found a few cultivated trees that looked like white spruces, but I found out they were blue,or Colorado spruces by looking at the cones.  My books say they don't grow in our area(It was in the western book that I found it, not the eastern book)  Do only cultivated blue spruces grow up here?  Thanks a lot for your answer.

Answer
Cones are not a good indicator of which tree you have--the size of the cones will vary with the tree and the growing conditions. It is best to use the needles. Here is a key that will walk you through the description of the needles and their length and should get you to the tree you have.
http://uptreeid.com/KeyA/A2b.htm
The first page asks if the needles are square or round OR flattened? Click on the key icon that best describes the the needles. This will take you to either a page that describes two spruce White and Black. The difference being the length of the needles and where they are growing. OR if the needles are flat to a page describing yews hemlocks and firs.
Yes some people have grown Colorado Blue spruce in the East and these are generally associated with a home site and not in the "wild"

Here are three sheets that will give you pictures of Red, White and Black spruce.
http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=137
http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=103
http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=104

With these you should be able to tell the difference.