THE LONG-LEAVED PINE OR SOUTHERN 



YELLOW PINE 



NO other conifer can compare with the Long-leaved Pine in the striking beauty 

 of its foliage. The slender leaves in clusters of threes commonly reach a length 

 of a foot or more, and give a distinctive effect to the branches of the tall trees 

 which may be noted for a considerable distance ; and the beauty of the trees when young 

 is even greater. "Any one who has travelled south of Virginia," writes Mr. J. Horace 

 McFarland, "cannot fail to have noted the lovely green leaf-fountains springing up from 

 the ground along the railroads. These are the young trees of the Long-leaved or Southern 

 Yellow Pine. How beautiful they are, these narrow leaves of vivid green, more than a 

 foot long, drooping gracefully from the centre outward, with none of the stiffness of our 

 Northern species. In some places they seem to fairly bubble in green from all the surface 

 of the ground, so close are they. And the grand Long-leaved Pine itself, maintained in 

 lusty vigor above these greeneries, is a tree of simple dignity, emphasized strongly when 

 seen at its best either in the uncut forest or in a planted avenue." Of late years this species 

 has served to satisfy the barbaric taste for dead greenery, the leaves being strung on threads 

 and the branches and young trees being sent North in quantities for holiday decorations. 

 It is to be hoped that this phase of our lack of civilization will pass before very long, for 

 discriminating people will surely discern the folly of such practices. 



As an economic tree the Long-leaved Pine is of first importance. The long, straight 

 trunks are in great demand in shipbuilding and many other constructive enterprises; 

 the yellow timber sawed into boards is one of the most important sources of our lumber 

 supply; the resinous sap is the source of great quantities of turpentine and rosin; the 

 leaves furnish by distillation an important essential oil and, by treatment with alkali, 

 a "pine wool " that is utilized for various purposes. 



The Long-leaved Pine is of comparatively limited distribution as a native tree. It 

 is found from Virginia to Florida and west to the Mississippi River, although it also occurs 

 locally in Texas. It is not hardy at the North. The cones are of large size, often nearly 

 a foot long, each thickened scale being armed with a sharp recurved spine. Between 

 these scales the seeds develop, each having a winged expansion about three-quarters 

 of an inch long. 



-The Loblolly Pine, or Old-field Pine (Pinus Tczda), is another southern species 

 ranging as far north as New Jersey which furnishes considerable yellow pine lumber. 

 The tree was formerly very abundant in the south. 



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