526 EVERGREEN TREES AND SHRUBS. 



There is no snow there in winter, and the summers are about as 

 hot as our own. We have seen the fuschia growing wild there ; 

 but the araucaria is found growing in large quantities six degrees 

 further south ; how much farther still we do not know. The In- 

 dians say that it grows only on the Pacific slope of the Andes. 



Pines of Europe and Asia. 



The Austrian Pine. Fimcs austriaca. — A native of southern 

 Europe, there holding the same rank in size and in value of timber 

 as our while pine. This tree is a type of a perfect color in ever- 

 green foliage. By this we do not mean to convey the impression 

 that any one shade of color, however pleasing, is desirable for all 

 trees, but only this : that there is a happy medium between the 

 wide diversities in color that Nature charms us with, and this me- 

 dium is a measure or standard of color by which we rank one tree 

 as light colored, because lighter than the medium, and another 

 dark, because darker than the medium. Thus all diversities of 

 color are described by some ideal standard. The color of this 

 pine is so clear and pure that it seems to be such a standard. 

 There is a liveliness, purity, and depth in its green not surpassed 

 by any tree we know of; forming a marked contrast in this respect 

 to the rather grayish-green of the Scotch pine, and the lighter green 

 of the white pine. It is, however, a stiffer, coarser, and more ro- 

 bust tree in its growth than either of them. Its young wood is 

 remarkably rough ; the branches issue in whorls almost right-angu- 

 larly from the main stem, describing a slight upward curve, and on 

 thrifty young trees the spaces between them, and their coarse char- 

 acter, give the tree a rude appearance when seen too closely. 

 When young the tree has the usual conical or pyramidal character 

 of the pines, but after it reaches middle size the top begins to 

 round out somewhat, and at maturity it becomes rather a round- 

 headed tree, sometimes even flat-topped when old. 



The leaves of the Austrian pine are from three to five inches 

 long, two (occasionally three) in a sheath, rigid, slender, and with 

 prickly points. The buds are large, very long, and of a whitish 



