THE RED PINE OR NORWAY PINE 



THE Red Pine is one of the most majestic of all our Northern trees. It has a mas- 

 sive dignity that renders it more impressive than any of the other conifers 

 growing in the same regions. The trunk is often of great height and large diam- 

 eter, and the long, stout leaves give a suggestion of strength that is not so fully given by 

 the White Pine or the Pitch Pine. 



The three widely distributed native Pines of our Northern States are readily dis- 

 tinguished by the number of needles in a cluster. In the Red Pine there are two, in the 

 Pitch Pine three, and in the White Pine five ; consequently by this character alone one 

 can always be sure of the species. Each pair of needles of the Red Pine is arranged in a 

 rather long sheath at the base, the needles being four to six inches long and the sheaths 

 often being an inch long. These leaves are generally clustered towards the ends of the 

 branches and are dark green in color, more or less covered with a glaucous bloom. This 

 coloring and arrangement of the foliage gives to those trees that grow in an open situation, 

 where there is opportunity for a symmetrical development of their branches, an appearance 

 of great beauty which is enhanced to an extraordinary degree for a few days in early spring, 

 when the red clusters of pollen-bearing flowers appear in enormous numbers on the tips 

 of the branches. Vast quantities of pollen are developed from these flowers, to be carried 

 through the air in every direction and often to float as a visible layer upon the surface of 

 quiet waters. A small proportion of the pollen-grains serve to fertilize the ovules in the 

 young cones on the ends of the branches. These cones require two years before they reach 

 maturity, at which time they are generally ovate in shape and average about two inches 

 in length. Their scales are thickened at the tip, but they have not the strong spines that 

 distinguish the Pitch Pine, the cones of which are somewhat similar in general form. 



This species is often called the Norway Pine and the Canadian Pine as well as the 

 Red Pine, the latter name being due to the color of the bark of the trunk. It is essentially 

 a tree of dry, sandy soils and is found from Newfoundland to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, west 

 to Southern Manitoba and south to the more northern states, reaching Minnesota, Wis- 

 consin, Northern Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. 



The wood is less valuable than that of the White Pine, being generally of a light 

 red color and weighing thirty pounds per cubic foot. It has not the lasting qualities 

 out of doors of some of the other pines but is valuable for interior building purposes. 



The Red Pine is valuable for planting as a landscape tree on account of its hardiness, 

 beauty of foliage, and rapidity of growth. It may be propagated from seed, although it 

 is not commonly offered for sale by nurserymen. Two or three year old seedlings are 

 desirable for planting for forestry purposes. 



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