454 REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



NOBLE FIR. 



{A. nobilis Lindl.) 



■ Of all the common names applied to our magnificent western trees the 

 name "Larch," ig-norantly given to this tree by loggers and some lumbei*- 

 men, is the most absurd and least excusable. All the larches { tamaracks) 

 have thin, weak, deciduous foliage, and small, oval cones that are more or 

 less pendent, while all the true firs have sti^ong, rigid, persistent foliage, 

 and fairly large, erect cones, so- that there is no possible excuse for even the 

 most careless observer to confuse or mistake one for the other in any way. 

 This tree is the most desirable of all the firs for lumber purposes, and is 

 much sought after by lumber and sawmill men wherever it can be obtained. 

 The wood is strong, straight grained, and, being entirely free from pitch, is 

 preferable even to Douglas spruce for furniture and inside finishing. The 

 foliage is not so long as that of ^L yrandis or ^4. amabilis, and instead of 

 being flat and two-ranked, is strongly up-curved. Cones, large, four to six 

 inches long. 



Range — Northern California to Washington as far as north latitude 48°. 

 Occurs both in the Cascade and Coast ranges in Oregon. 



Use — Lumber, inside finishing, furniture, fuel, etc. 



RED BARK FIR OR SHASTA FIR. 

 {A. maynifica Murr.)* 



The largest of all the firs, and, next to A. nohilis, the most useful. As its 

 specific name indicates, it is truly a most magnificent tree, ranging in height 

 from one hundred and twenty to two hundred and fifty feet, and in diam- 

 eter from three to six feet or more. The bark is very thick, usually dark out- 

 side but reddish inside, giving rise to the common name, "Red Bark E'ir. " 

 Cones, the largest of all the firs, six to eight inches long; leaves, short, 

 dense, and somewhat two-ranked. 



Range — California to Southern Oregon, along the Sierra Nevada and Cas- 

 cade ranges. 



Use — Bridge timber, inside finishing, lumber, etc. 



REDWOOD. 

 {Sequoia xempiviren.1 (Lamb.) Endd.) 



Essentially moisture-loving, this tree is rarely found at any great distance 

 from the coast. It is the principal lumber tree of California, where it is 

 confined to the Coast Range and extends from the vicinity of Monterey, where 

 it occurs sparingly, north to the state line. In Oregon it is found on Chetco 

 River and a few other small tracts in Curry County, the whole area occupied 

 by it in this state being not to exceed one to one and one-half sections (six 

 hundred and forty to nine hundred and sixty acres). This magnificent tree 

 undoubtedly reached its maximum development on the Pacific Coast ages 



*It is claimed that this tree is oonfined fo California, and that only its variety, ShrtM- 

 <ens/s, occui-s ill Oregon, while other auth<irities a>^si'rt that tlic two are really one spe- 

 cies and that S/iastc'ii.six is simjily an aliiiiie loiinof lln' t\i>e. This iiuestion can only \h: 

 definitely decided on further iuvestit^ation. 



