Tree Study 



791 



A part of a necklace of pitch pine needles. 



while the Austrian pine has two. 

 There is a great difference in the 

 length and the color of the needles 

 of different species of pine. Those 

 of the white pine are soft, delicate 

 and pliable, and from three to 

 four inches in length ; the needles 

 of the pitch pine are stiff and 

 coarse and about the same length ; 

 the white pine needles are triangular in section, and are set so as to form dis- 

 tinct tassels, while those of the Austrian pine simply clothe the ends of the 

 twigs . The needles of the pine act like the strings of an aeolian harp ; and the 

 wind, in passing through the tree, sets them into vibration, making a sighing 

 sound which seems to the listener like the voice of the tree. Therefore, the 

 pine is the most companionable of all our trees and, to one who observes 

 them closely, each tree has its own tones and whispers a different story. 



The appearance of the unripe cone is another convincing evidence that 

 mathematics is the basis of the beautiful. The pattern of the overlapping 



Austrian pine in blossom showing staminate flowers. 

 Photo by G. F. Morgan. 



