Rural School Leaflet 



1221 



where it has plenty of room, the crown is broad, with many limbs growing 



to within fifteen or twenty feet of the ground, and under these conditions 



the tree never grows very tall. The lumberman likes best 



of all the tall, straight trees of the forests, for these 



will yield fine, straight-grained lumber with few knots. 



The white pine can be distinguished from the other 



pines of this State by the needles, which grow in clusters 



of five. Examine the foliage of a pine tree; you will see 



that the needles, instead of growing singly, grow in 



bunches, or clusters. In the white pine there are always 



five needles in a cluster. The individual needles are two 



and one half to five inches long, slender, flexible, bluish 



green, with a fine white streak. Let us now look for some 



cones. We may find some growing on the tree, or we can 



examine those that have fallen from the tree and are 



now lying on the ground. The white pine cone is about 



five inches in length, is usually slightly curved, and is 



slender, rarely exceeding an inch in thickness. Let us 



look a little more closely and see whether there are any 

 Pitch pine needle • • , 1 



cluster spines, or prickles, on 



the cone. If we have 

 picked up a dry cone the seeds have 

 doubtless been shed and scattered. 

 If we can find a fresh cone with 

 seeds in it, we can see how each seed 

 is provided with a thin wing, which 

 enables the wind to blow it for long 

 distances. 



Now let us consider the pitch pine, 

 which is probably the next most com- 

 mon pine tree of this State. It is 

 generally found growing on very poor 

 soils, where only the hardiest trees 

 or shrubs will thrive. This tree can 

 grow in these poor situations because 

 of its thick bark (often two inches 

 thick at the base of the tree) and 

 because it can resist fire much better 

 than can the white pine. It is not 

 nearly so neat in appearance as the 

 white pine; its branches are irregular, the trunk is not so tall and 

 straight, and the old cones frequently hang on the tree for years. The 

 87 



Pitch pine 



