184 NOTES ON FOREST TREES. 



end over 4 inches in diameter, it is safe to conclude the tree 

 must have originally been over 100 feet high : the broken 

 end near the stump was 12 feet in circumference. The 

 heart of this log was perfectly sound, which is rather re- 

 markable, for all the other large logs were hollow. 



Abies balsamea {Balsam Fir) is common and one of 

 the handsomest trees in the forest. Its dark screen foliage 

 in exposed situations, softened down by the lighter green 

 of the pines in the background, tinally loses itself in the 

 lighter blue green of the firs in the more shaded situa- 

 tions. This tree seldom grows to a large size, the largest 

 that was found measured 22 inches in diameter and was 

 40 feet high. The specimen taken from the trunk of this 

 tree was 5 feet long and 150 annual circles of growth 

 were counted on the end of the log. 



Tsuga canadensis {Hemlock) is another of the large 

 timber trees of this section as well as one of the most 

 beautiful. It is often found near Morrison vi lie, 12 feet 

 in circumference, and 60 feet high. The limbs begin near 

 the ground, often as low as 5 feet on the old trees and pro- 

 ject some 25 feet out from each side : this is not the ease 

 with trees 18 inches or 2 feet in diameter in the immedi- 

 ate vicinity as they are usually 15 or 20 feet to the limbs. 

 The reason of this difference in form of growth is prob- 

 ably owing to the larger old trees growing in an exposed 

 situation until these lower branches had attained this 

 large size. One of these trees was cut which was 2 feet 

 6 inches in diameter and 257 circles of growth were 

 counted. This tree is rare in the region of the Lake 

 shore. 



Picea alba ( White Spruce) is not a well known tree to 

 farmers or wood cutters ; but one man in Clinton county 

 was found who knew it. He called it the "Cat Spruce" 

 from its peculiar odor when the foliage was crushed, and 



