NEVADA FORESTS 



so dark a mass in the distance, the foliage is a 

 pale grayish green, in stiff, awl-shaped fascicles. 

 When examined closely these round needles 

 seem inclined to be two-leaved, but they are 

 mostly held firmly together, as if to guard 

 against evaporation. The bark on the older 

 sections is nearly black, so that the boles and 

 branches are clearly traced against the pre- 

 vailing gray of the mountains on which they 

 delight to dwell. 



The value of this species to Nevada is not 

 easily overestimated. It furnishes fuel, char- 

 coal, and timber for the mines, and, together 

 with the enduring juniper, so generally asso- 

 ciated with it, suppHes the ranches with abun- 

 dance of firewood and rough fencing. Many a 

 square mile has already been denuded in sup- 

 plying these demands, but, so great is the area 

 covered by it, no appreciable loss has as yet 

 been sustained. It is pretty generally known 

 that this tree yields edible nuts, but their 

 importance and excellence as human food is 

 infinitely greater than is supposed. In fruitful 

 seasons Hke this one, the pine-nut crop of 

 Nevada is, perhaps, greater than the entire 

 wheat crop of Cahfomia, concerning which so 

 much is said and felt throughout the food- 

 markets of the world. 



The Indians alone appreciate this portion 



169 



