151 



This kind of pine is found widely scattered in New England, 

 New York and westward to Minnesota and Iowa and along the 

 Allegheny Mountains as far south as Georgia ; also in some parts 

 of Canada. It is a valuable lumber tree. 



The pitch pine. 



This kind of pine is very different, in manj^ respects, from the 

 white pine. I,et us find some of the differences. Instead of 

 having leaves in bunches of five, it has them in clusters of three, 

 and the base of each cluster is inclosed by a ^~sm^-^''>^ 



scal}^ sheath which does not fall away as in 

 case of the white pine ; neither does the little 

 scale-like body upon the branch, in the axil of 

 which the leaf -cluster is borne, fall away, but 

 it may be found just below the leaf, and even 

 on branches that are several years old. Some- 

 times a sheath is found with only two leaves. 

 We shall want to know, too, how old the 

 leaves are when they fall. Do they remain on 4i- Com of pitch pine. 



"^ One-half nattiral size. 



the tree longer than the white pine leaves do ? 



Again, instead of being soft and slender as the white pine 

 leaves are, we shall find that these leaves are rigid and large in 

 comparison, and stand out straight from the branches. The 

 shape of the leaves is also distinct from the white pine needles. 

 See if 3'ou can find any other differences. 



A pitch pine branch is shown in Fig. 40. The part between 

 the tip and A is the past season's growth. Observe the foliage 

 on the part that is two years old. Part of it has fallen. We 

 often find it on growth which is older than this ; but in this 

 specimen there are no leaves on the three-year wood. 



The cone of the pitch pine is ver}^ unlike that of the white 

 pine. Fig. 41 gives a good idea of one which has shed its seeds. 

 Compare this with Fig. 39 ; or, better, examine the two kinds of 

 cones side by side. The pitch pine cones are sometimes borne in 

 clusters of two or more and they persist, — that is, remain on the 

 tree for several 3'ears after the seeds have ripened and scattered . 



