46 The greater evergreen trees 



our native trees would thrive. Its appearance is very 

 distinct, with a sturdy trunk and few branches, coming 

 in regular whorls, and drooping with age. Tried on 

 poor limestone soil at Grignon in France, it has out- 

 stripped the Corsican Pine, and promises to be one of 

 the best timber trees. 



Jeffrey's Pine {Piniis Jeffreyi) — better known in this 

 country — is a mountain form of P. ponderosa, not quite 

 so rapid in growth, but more resistant to the Pine 

 beetles and certain diseases which attack the Yellow 

 Pine. 



The White Fir [Abies concolor). Perhaps the most 

 valuable of the American Firs, it is remarkable for 

 vigorous growth and resistance to heat and drought. 

 It reaches a height of 200 feet and upwards, with a 

 trunk diameter of 6 feet, a narrow pointed crown, and 

 spreading frond-like masses of foliage. Brought to this 

 country about forty years ago, there are trees already 

 upwards of 60 feet high with a girth of 7 to 9 feet. It 

 is a variable tree, with several forms — Abies lasiocarpa 

 with an erect habit and slender stem, and A. Lowiana 

 with a stouter trunk and more spreading in its outline. 

 All, however, grow freely on well-drained land, in places 

 not too liable to spring frosts. Along the coast of New 

 England it has been freely planted in seashore gardens, 

 and some of the finest trees are to be found fully ex- 

 posed to the fierce winds sweeping in from the Atlantic 

 — winds which frequently drench the trees with salt 

 spray without any ill effects. It should be tried under 

 similar conditions on our coasts, and deserves considera- 

 tion as a forest tree. Syn. Abies Parsonsiana. N.W. 

 America. 



Caucasian Spruce [P. orientalis). An elegant tree with 



