244 SYLVA AMERICANA. 



ance of the young trees. The male aments are four or five lines 

 lon-, united to the number of five or six, and arranged like those 

 of the loblolly and long-leaved pines : they bloom in the month 

 of May, and turn reddish before they are cast. The cones 

 are four or five inches long, ten lines in diameter in the middle, 

 pedunculated, pendulous, somewhat arched, and composed of 

 thin, smooth scales, rounded at the base. They open about the 

 first of October to release their seeds, of which a part are left 

 adhering to the turpentine that exudes from the scales. 



The wood of this species is employed in greater quantities and 

 far more diversified uses than that of any other American pine ; 

 yet it is not without essential defects ; it has little strength, gives 

 a feeble hold to nails and sometimes swells by the humidity of 

 the atmosphere. These properties are compensated however by 

 others which give it a decided superiority ; it is soft, light, free 

 of knots and easily wrought, is more durable, and less liable 

 to split when exposed to the sun, furnishes boards of a great 

 width, and timber of large dimensions, in fine, it is still abundant 

 and cheap. It is observed that the influence of soil is greater 

 upon resinous than upon leafy trees. The qualities of the white 

 pine, in particular, are strikingly affected by it. In loose, deep, 

 humid soils, it unites in the highest degree all the valuable 

 properties by which it is characterized, especially lightness and 

 firmness of texture, so that it may be smoothly cut in every 

 direction \ hence the name Pumpkin Pine. On dry, elevated 

 lands, its wood is firmer and more resinous, with a coarser grain 

 and more distant concentric circles, and it is then called Sapling 

 Pine. The wood of this tree is used for every species of 

 ornamental work about building, for clap boards, and shingles, 

 for looking glass and picture frames, for images in sculpture, the 

 inside of mahogany furniture and of trunks, in cooperage and an 

 endless variety of other purposes. It serves exclusively for the 

 masts of the numerous vessels constructed in the Northern and 

 Middle States. The principal superiority of these masts over 

 those exported to England from Riga is their lightness ; but 

 they have less strength, and are said to decay more rapidly 

 between decks and at the point of intersection of the yards : this 



