16 THE BOOK OF EVERGREENS. 



ters of an inch in length, which are considered quite nutri- 

 tious, and are even in limited demand as an article of 

 commerce. 



For their medicinal and mechanical properties, the pro- 

 ducts of this family constitute a very important item of traf- 

 fic. Various so-called balsams and resins, that are service- 

 able in the materia-medica, as well as the pitch, tar, rosin, 

 and turpentine of trade, have yielded an immense annual 

 income to the manufacturers. For building purposes, both 

 in naval and civil architecture, the lumber furnished by the 

 Abietina? is, perhaps, the most useful and valuable in the 

 market. The immense rafts of White and Yellow Pine, 

 as well as Hemlock Spruce, that are conveyed yearly to 

 our large cities, contribute largely to their mercantile 

 prosperity, and produce a livelihood for large numbers 

 of workmen in those sections from whence it is obtained. 



