CHAP. cxiu. coni'feu^. ^bie'tinvE. 2139 



a tremendous roaring in the woods, resembling the incessant rolling of 

 thunder; while, at the same time, the atmosphere became thickly darkened 

 with smoke. They had scarcely time to ascertain the cause of this pheno- 

 menon, before all the surrounding woods appeared in one vast blaze, the 

 flames ascending more than lUO feet above the top of the loftiest tree; and 

 the fire, like a gulf in flames, rolling forward with inconceivable celerity. In 

 less than an hour Douglastown and Newcastle were enveloped in one vast 

 blaze, and many of the wretched inhabitants, unable to escape, perished in 

 the midst of this terrible fire." (Sketches of the Mar. Col. of British America.) 

 In some parts of Sweden, also, the pines and firs are purposely burnt, to 

 clear the fields for agricultural purposes; but there are also extensive 

 accidental fires. Dr. Clarke, describing his journey from Stockholm 

 northward, says : " As we proceeded to Hamrange, we passed through 

 noble avenues of trees, and saw some fine lakes on either side of the road. 

 Some of the forests had been burned, by which the land was cleared for 

 cultivation. The burning of a forest is a very common event in this coun- 

 try; but it is most frequent towards the north of the Gulf of Bothnia. 

 Sometimes a considerable part of the horizon glares with a fiery redness, 

 owing to the conflagration of a whole district, which, for many leagues in 

 extent, has been rendered a prey to the devouring flames." In Lapland, 

 beyond Tornea, he adds, " some forests were on fire near the river, and 

 had been burning for a considerable time." Mr. Tijjping informed us that 

 these fires were owing to the carelessness of the Laplanders and boatmen 

 on the rivers, who, using the boletus (Polyporus) igniarius (German 

 tinder) for kindling their tobacco-pipes (see p. ISS-t.), suffer it to fall in an 

 ignited state among the dry leaves and moss. They also leave large fires 

 burning in the midst of the woods, which they have kindled to drive away 

 the mosquitoes from their cattle and from themselves; therefore, the con- 

 flagration of a forest, however extensively the flames may rage, is easily 

 explained. Yet Linnaeus, with all his knowledge of the country, and customs 

 of the inhabitants, attributed the bui-ning of forests in the north of Sweden 

 to the effects of lightning. During these tremendous fires, the bears, wolves, 

 and foxes, are driven from theii- retreats, and make terrible depredations 

 among the cattle." (Travels, i^c.) 



Diseases. The pine and fir tribe are subject to some diseases, and more 

 particularly to the flow of resin, in consequence of being wounded by pruning 

 when the sap is in active motion in spring. They are also aflTected by can- 

 kerous excrescences; and the wood is liable to become shaky; an evil 

 which, of course, is not obsened till the tree is cut down, and sawn into 

 boards, when the annual layers are found to separate from each other. 

 The larch is subject to a very peculiar disease, called pumping, which rots 

 out the heart wood, and which we shall describe when speaking of that tree. 

 Insects. Mr. Westwood, to whom we are indebted for this article, ob- 

 serves, that the attacks of the insect tribes upon the genus Pinus are not, 

 in this country, so prejudicial as in Sweden and some parts of Germany; 

 where, owing to their very great extent, the pine forests are of such vast 

 importance. Hence it is that in these countries the investigation of the 

 habits of the different species of insects which attack the pine and fir tribe 

 has been pursued with much more care than among us. We shall avail 

 ourselves in this article of the most recent labours both of Continental and 

 English authors, adding thereto some original matter, which we have not 

 found noticed in their works. 



The insects which attack the different species of Pinus may be divided into 

 two classes ; viz., internal feeders, and external feeders. The former may 

 again be separated into those which burrow into the wood, and those which 

 merely reside beneath the bark : not, indeed, that the latter are less injurious 

 than the former ; because, as in the elm-destro}'ing Scolytus, the presence 

 of great numbers of subcortical species causes the death of a tree as 

 speedily as those which strip it of its leaves, or burrow into its solid sub- 

 stance, and, indeed, often more speedily. 



