77 



XXVI. 



ABIETINE^. 



THE SPRUCE. 



PICE A . 



The Norwa}- or common spruce, Picca excelsa, 

 is said to be the loftiest of all European trees, the 

 silver Hr, Abies pectinata, coming next to it. A 

 native of the mountains of Northern and Central 

 Europe, evidence points to the conclusion that it 

 has been with us for several centuries, but the 

 time of its introduction is not definitely known. 



Like the larch, the spruce thrives best in a 

 sheltered situation, on a loose moist soil, and 

 never appears to be affeded by frost. It blossoms 

 in May and June. The red brown cones, which, 

 are pendent, ripen in the autumn, and discharge 

 their seed the following spring. The tree thus 

 differs from the pine, in ripening its seeds within a 

 year of blossoming. 



The wood is much used in commerce, the small 

 trees for scaffolding and ladders, the larger trees 

 for general building purposes. It comes to this 



