SOS 



DESCRIPTION OF THE FIRS, 



instanced in 

 the white ce- 

 dar. 



The young 



fhoot. 



B?rniutlas 

 cedar. 



Balm of Gi- 

 lead fir. 



Thuja. 



Stems o(f the 

 jounjr 

 branches. 



Principal 

 leaves. 



Peculiarity of 



the firs. 



all the pines, which they in fructification and habit cidsely 

 resemble, I shall turn to the cypress kind ; including only 

 those, the fruit of which bear a strict analogy to the cypress; 

 as the white cedar, (he balsamea, the arbor vitae, and others, 

 too many to name ; taking the white cedar as an ej^ample 

 of all the rest. 



The young- shoot of the cypress kind is curious. Jt t,o 

 much resembles the juniper, that the most knowing garr 

 dener would be deceived. This is caused by the first shoot- 

 ing of the'leaf bud \u the axil of the leaf; which necessarily 

 throws it from the stalk, to which at every other time it 

 cleaves most closely-: for they have inbricate leaves, with the 

 leafing branches quadrangular, which makes them take a 

 pyramidical form, The Bermudas cedar is only a variety of 

 the cupressus sempervirens, expands more in its branches, 

 grows larger in size, and is that species from which th^ 

 wood is taken, so remarkable for its resistance to the insect 

 tribe. The pinus balsamea, with its brown and woody cqr 

 rollas, has the same fructification, though the cojie is in the 

 former more expanded. In the arbor vitae it differs little ; 

 though this has generally been supposed to carry its male 

 and female flowers on different trees. But this I conceive 

 a great mistake ; I have repeatedly drawu them from the 

 same plant, as well as in th# balsamea. 



The stems of the young branches of all these of the cy*" 

 press kind are more formed like leaves than stems, only that 

 they are so thick as. to have no edges. They are almost 

 wholly composed of pabulum, having very few regular ves- 

 sels. A quantity of smaller bubbles of resinoas matter, 

 surrounded by a net work enclosing naw and then a larger 

 circular bleb. Thus net on net appears to form both the mi- 

 nor branches and leaves: but the principal stems are com- 

 posed as those of firs in general ; except, that in the larger 

 stem of all firs there is a peculiarity not yet noticed. In 

 showing the interior formation of trees, I mentioned the grand 

 obstruction, and the middle*. This last was the stoppage 

 of the pith at the commencement of each branch. Now 



• See Journal, rol. XXVUJ, p 259, 260. 



when 



I 



