ABIES BRACTEATA. 493 



Abies balsamea is one of the most widely distributed of the North 

 American Silver Firs. Its northern limit, according to Professor 

 Macoun, may be roughly indicated by a line drawn obliquely frcm 

 James' Bay to Lake Athabasca ; it is very abundant throughout the 

 eastern provinces of the Dominion from Newfoundland to Lake 

 Superior ; southwards it spreads through the northern States to 

 Pennsylvania and through Minnesota to north-eastern Iowa ; also 

 along the Alleghany mountains to the high peaks of Virginia 

 Over this extensive area the tree is found to be fairly constant 

 except in dimensions which, as with other species of Abies, are often 

 much modified by climate, environment and altitude. Abies balsamea 

 is for the most part a swamp tree, " it seems to need a constant 

 supply of water at the roots, as many die in exceptionally dry seasons." 



Abies balsamea was introduced into Great Britain by Bishop Compton 

 in 1698,t but it has long since been proved to be unsuitable for the 

 comparatively dry climate of England, and even in the more humid 

 districts of Scotland and Ireland where the best specimens of it are 

 to be seen, it is short-lived and possesses no qualities that would 

 recommend it for arboriculture! purposes. The variety hudsonica is a 

 sterile form whose origin is unknown ; it is recommended by horticul- 

 turists both British and American as a distinct plant for the rock 

 garden. The variety maerocarpa was discovered in Wisconsin by the 

 late Robert Douglas of Waukegan, and is said to be superior to the 

 common form as an ornamental tree for the north-eastern States. Xine 

 other varieties are described by Beissner, none of which are probably 

 in cultivation in this country. 



The most useful economic product of the Balsam Fir is the resinous 

 secretion with which its vernacular name is associated and known as 

 Canada Balsam, an aromatic liquid formerly much used in medicine 

 but now chiefly for mounting objects for microscopic examination. The 

 gathering of Canada Balsam at the present time is carried on in the 

 province of Quebec, only by the poorest people who camp in the 

 woods from the middle of June until the middle of August. Small 

 iron cans are used furnished at the top with an iron tube sharpened 

 at the end; the tube is pressed against the resin blister, punctures 

 it, and the gum flows down the tube into the can. The yield of a 

 large tree is about one pound, but the average yield is not more than 

 half a pound.:}: The timber of Abies balsamea is practically worthless, 

 and is used for temporary purposes only where the tree is abundant ; 

 the wood is light, of little strength, coarse-grained, and decays rapidly 

 on exposure to the weather. 



Abies bracteata. 



A lofty tree attaining a height of 100 150 or more feet, the 

 trunk slender in proportion to height with a diameter of not more 

 than 2 4 feet near the base, and when isolated feathered with 

 branches from near the ground upwards, forming in outline an elongated 



* Catalo<nie of Canadian Plants, p. 473. t Hortns Kewensis, ed. II. Vol. V. p. 320. 

 + Silva of North America, Vol. XII, p. 109. 



