THE FORESTS OF OREGON 



gun cocked beside me, and penning these lines by 

 the light of my Columbian candle, namely, an ignited 

 piece of rosin-wood. 



Douglas named this magnificent species 

 Pinus Lambertiana, in honor of his friend Dr. 

 Lambert, of London. This is the noblest pine 

 thus far discovered in the forests of the world, 

 surpassing all others not only in size but in 

 beauty and majesty. Oregon may well be 

 proud that its discovery was made within 

 her borders, and that, though it is far more 

 abundant in California, she has the largest 

 known specimens. In the Sierra the finest 

 sugar pine forests lie at an elevation of about 

 five thousand feet. In Oregon they occupy 

 much lower ground, some of the trees being 

 found but little above tide-water. 



No lover of trees will ever forget his first 

 meeting with the sugar pine. In most coni 

 ferous trees there is a sameness of form and 

 expression which at length becomes wearisome 

 to most people who travel far in the woods. 

 But the sugar pines are as free from conven 

 tional forms as any of the oaks. No two are 

 so much alike as to hide their individuality 

 from any observer. Every tree is appreciated 

 as a study in itself and proclaims in no uncer 

 tain terms the surpassing grandeur of the spe 

 cies. The branches, mostly near the summit, 



305 



