FOREST TREES. j-, 



without beauty of form, and with little value for any purpose. Whereas, 

 in better soil and under more favourable auspices, the Red Cedar is a 

 slender but graceful tree, attaining to a height of from twenty to thirty 

 feet, and the timber from eighteen inches to twenty-four in diameter, but 

 not often exceeding this measurement. The foliage is of a rich, deep 

 green on the older branches ; but lighter and of more vivid colour on 

 the slender rapidly-growing shoots in Spring ; the leaves are pointed, 

 spreading, in pairs or threes, closely pressed, scale-like, overlying each 

 other. The wood is much valued for ornamental inlaying and cabi- 

 net work, on account of its fine pink colour and peculiar grain, and 

 /ragrant agreeable scent. But these rare qualities are very evanescent, 

 both colour and sweet smell are lessened by exposure to light. The 

 wood takes the application of French Polish well. 



Even the gnarled fantastic roots of the Red Cedar can be made 

 into useful and ornamental articles by being cut and polished- -walking 

 sticks from the knotted branches — rustic hall chairs, and garden seats, 

 from the twisted roots ; and even shawl pins and brooches have been 

 fashioned from the resinous knots, which appear when polished of a fine 

 semi-transparent ruby colour. 



These are only a few of the uses that can be made of the wood 

 and roots of the Red Cedar, but there are others that are well-known to 

 the carpenter, such as panelling for rooms and wardrobe shelves ; 

 where the tree grows in abundance, fencing rails and articles of house- 

 hold use are also made from the wood, such as tubs, pails and boxes. 



The Red Cedar repays cultivation, becoming a very handsome 

 ornamental tree, thriving well in open ground and generous soil. It is 

 found both Northward and Southward, becoming more rugged and 

 dwarfed in barren localities, and colder and higher latitudes. 



American Yew — Ground Hemlock. — Taxits Canaderisis, (Willd) or 

 Taxus baccata, (L.) var Canadensis, (Gray). 



This pretty little evergreen is found chiefly on gravelly banks, in 

 forest land near lakes and rivers, and on rocky islands ; it is of low 

 stature rarely rising above two or three feet from the ground which it 

 covers with its low prostrate branches. The leaves of the Ground 

 Hemlock are of a bright shining green, lighter on the under side, two 

 ranked and flat on the branch. The fertile flowers green, solitary and 

 scaly at the base, forming as they mature a little hollow waxy pulpy cup 

 of a beautiful rosy-red ; within the hollow of this lovely gem-like cup lies 

 imbedded the dark green seed, The beautiful fruit of this pretty ever- 

 green, so tempting to the eye like delicate pink coral or porcelain, is 

 sweet and mucilaginous ; but the central green seed is poisonous. 'I'he 



