8 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



Standing on the wind-swept crest of some crag and look- 

 ing from the wintry woods all about to the billowy green at 

 our feet we are sure to be looking down upon the tops of a fine 

 growth of our common white pine (Piuiis sfrobus), — tree of 

 utility and beauty. If some few stand up with more stifif erect- 

 ness and less of grace than their neighbors, it is likely that you 

 see the pitch pine (Piiiiis rigida) or if in the right locality the 

 red pine {Piniis resinosa). Little hint is there now among 

 these still sentinels of the wintry forest of the soft threnody 

 that the summer winds will play among their branches. But 

 look away to that bare hillside pasture. What are those 

 patches of green scattered here and there upon the snow ? 

 naught but the dwarf juniper (Juni/yerous communis). A 

 tree that usually contents itself with sprawling its branches 

 over as large an area as possible, though it does sometimes 

 reach a height of fifteen feet. In habit it somew'hat resembles 

 those plants of the arctic regions that must perforce closeh' 

 liug mother earth if they would exist at all. A near relative, 

 the red cedar ( Jitnipcrous virginiana) may pierce the sky line 

 with its spire-pointed top. — a handsome and dignified tree. It 

 our line of vision chances to cross some swampy area we may 

 see that beautiful evergreen the white cedar or arbor vitae 

 {Thuja occidentalis) : its closely woven and matlike branches 

 furnishing a refuge for some of our feathered friends these 

 wintry days. 



Because a plant or tree is common we are apt to overlook 

 its beauty. Such perhaps is the case witli the hemlock (Tsuga 

 canadensis) which is a common feature of the winter land- 

 scape in localities not entire!}^ denuded of the forest covering. 

 The apex of this tree is generally bent to one side and is said 

 by old woodsmen to indicate the direction of the prevailing 

 winds. 



However we must not forget w^hat is probably the most 

 beautiful evergreen in our northern forests, the balsam fir 

 (Abies halsaiiiea) with its indescribable tint of bluish green. 



