p. BALFOURIANA AND ARISTATA 



BALFOURIANA GROUP OF FOX-TAIL PINES 



Here we have another little group, merged in a 

 class of their own, and answering to the almost 

 appropriate name of Fox-tail. We say almost ap- 

 propriate, for Fox-tail is a word that falls rather 

 strangely upon English ears, where all, from the 

 luckier who has the good fortune to bestride a horse, 

 to the lowlier pedestrian and excited workman — 

 who invariably deserts his daily work if the hounds 

 come by, and is as invariably forgiven by his task- 

 master for so doing — are at least of one mind upon 

 one unvexed question. All, one and all, votaries or 

 even non-votaries of the chase indulge in but one 

 colloquial name for this hirsute appendage of the 

 animal in question. With one harmonious accord 

 they call it ''brush." 



We note that some nurserymen, in deference to 

 custom and accepted medium of expression, actually 

 describe and advertise the tree as Fox-brush Pine. 

 In so doing they cling to a name that tells its tale 

 well and truly. The resemblance of its closely 

 clustered leaves to the article whence it derives its 

 name helps in, if it does not quite render unmistak- 

 able, the identification of these trees. 



The two of them, the P. Balfouriana and P. Aristata, 

 were once content to dwell together in unity of name 

 and species. Now this harmony has been broken 

 by some of the fixed stars of our arboricultural 

 firmament. The P. Aristata occupies a position of 

 the mountain, or Alpine, variety of the P. Balfouriana. 

 Their difference seems to be that the mountain 

 variety show^s (i) more distinct pubescence on its 

 branchlets, as is the way of mountain varieties ; (2) 

 the incurved prickle of the cone is a good deal longer 

 than that upon the P. Balfouriana, and measures 



