CHAPTER XII 



THE SENIORS OF THE FOREST 



"Cedars blossom, though few people know it, 

 And look all dipped in sunshine like a poet." 



Lowell. 



THE evergeen woods have a character distinc- 

 tively their own. This is most evident in winter, 

 when they stand robed in living green while the 

 deciduous trees are etched in soft grays against the 

 sky, but it is noticeable at all seasons. 



They may almost be said to have a flora of their 

 own, for some blossoms blow beneath the ever- 

 greens which are not found elsewhere, and others 

 thrive best on the mat of fallen needles which 

 covers the ground under pines and hemlocks. 



First and sweetest of these is the trailing-arbutus 

 or May-flower. It fades as spring advances, and is 

 followed by a number of the smaller and humbler 

 orchids, little cousins of the stemless lady-slipper, 

 which appears in June, and which is the last and 

 almost the only showy blossom of the evergreen 



woods. 



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