Rural School Leaflet 



1219 



The wood of the elm is useful for purposes demanding great toughness. 

 It is often used in the making of barrels and fruit baskets. It is hard 

 to split and work, and for that reason carpenters do not use it for wood- 

 work or finishing; but if a tough wood is needed, a better wood than 

 that of the elm is difficult to find. 



THE PINES OF NEW YORK 

 John Bentley, Jr. 



In the winter months, when most of our forest trees are leafless, the 

 firs, spruces, and pines, with their dark green foliage, are a cheerful sight. 

 It makes us feel, somehow, 

 that after all the woods 

 are not lifeless in winter, 

 and that there are some 

 trees bold and hardy 

 enough to withstand the 

 snow and the cold. Pines 

 are particularly notice- 

 able, because there is 

 more motion and life in 

 their foliage than in the 

 stiff, rigid foliage of 

 spruces and firs. Then, 

 too, pines are more 

 familiar to most of the 

 boys and girls in the 

 State, because spruces 

 and firs belong to the 

 cold climate of the 

 mountains. 



There are five pines 

 that are native to New 

 York State, besides 

 several others that may White pine 



be found occasionally in our parks. The five native trees are (1) the 

 white pine, (2) the pitch pine, (3) the red, or Norway, pine, (4) the 

 jack pine, and (5) the Jersey scrub pine. The last two are not very 

 common, however, and most of us will find only the three first 

 mentioned. 



The pines as a group are marked by three characteristics which all 

 boys and girls should notice first of all. They are: (1) the needle-shaped 



