The Balsam Fir 



THE balsam fir is a tree we should all know and 

 love, for the balsam makes a perfect "Christmas 

 tree." It is not a large tree, seldom more than 

 fifty feet tall, nor more than a foot or two thick. 

 The leaves are small, not over an inch long. They 

 grow singly, in two rows, on the side and top of 

 the twig. In color they are a beautiful dark 

 green on the upper side, pale green below and 

 very flat. The same leaves remain on the tree 

 for a long time, often eight or ten years, before 

 falling off and making room for new ones. 



Balsam cones are very large, three or four 

 inches long and at least an inch thick. They are 



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