THE SPRUCE FIR 107 



country, as much as 180 feet, with a straight, tapering 

 stem from two to six feet in diameter, and sweeping 

 branches disposed very regularly round it, giving it, 

 with the long straight leading shoot, a very conical 

 outline. The secondary branches are produced 

 mainly at the sides of the primary ones, so as to form 

 broad horizontally spreading sprays. In young trees 

 the branches are nearly horizontal ; but in older ones, 

 if free scope is given for growth, a very graceful pen- 

 dent habit is assumed, branches sweeping down to the 

 ground, and even taking, root and again following a ver- 

 tical direction, so as to form a grove of young trees 

 round the original stem. Similar anomalies of growth 

 are not uncommonly exhibited by Spruces that have 

 been blown over. Such specimens may be seen among 

 the forests of Norway, and have been described from 

 the Whim, an estate at the foot of the Pentland Hills. 

 They serve to illustrate the fact that the Spruce may 

 be readily reproduced by the system of " layering," or 

 pegging down considerable branches. The root gener- 

 ally spreads a good deal horizontally, which, together 

 with the preference of this species for soft and some- 

 what moist soil, renders it more liable to be prostrated 

 by wind than the tap-rooted Pine. The bark of the 

 trunk is rather thin, warty, and of a reddish brown, 

 becoming scaly as the tree gets older. 



The buds are dry, not resinous, and conical. The 

 leaves are generally less than an inch long, sharp- 

 pointed, slightly curved, very stiff, and of a dark 

 though clear green ; and, although spirally " inserted," 

 they are so arranged on the shoot, the upper ones 

 directed forwards along the stem and the lower ones 



