268 THE STtfDY OF TREES, 



THE SPR.TJCE FIR (Picea excelsa). 



The Spruce Fir is probably most familiar to pupils as a 

 Christmas tree. But many will also know it as a forest 

 tree, e.g. in the north of Scotland. It is a tree which 

 grows well in high situations ; it is the principal forest 

 tree in the higher districts in Germany, and on the Alps it 

 grows at heights approaching 6,500 feet. 



The lesson may be given about Christmas time, when 

 most pupils will have an opportunity of examining a tree. 

 It will of course be a young one, if used in connection 

 with Christmas festivities, but that will not matter much. 



What are our general impressions of the tree ? First, 

 may we not note its greenness in winter ? Most trees in 

 our country shed all their leaves every year, but the Spruce 

 tree is an example of another type, which is never bare of 

 leaves it is an evergreen. Do evergreens never shed any 

 leaves ? This question is not difficult to answer. Of 

 course they do. Are we not familiar with the thick felt 

 of "pine needles" which form a spongy carpet beneath the 

 trees in Pine woods ? And if we look under a Holly tree, 

 another evergreen, we are sure to find dead leaves here 

 also. Evergreens do not shed all their leaves at one time. 

 If we look at the inner parts of the branches of the Spruce 

 Fir we shall see the scars left by the fallen leaves. These 

 scars will be seen to be arranged in an orderly series of 

 spirals around the branch. 



Our second general impression is, I think, its shape. 

 It is a very symmetrical tree. Its branches, if they have 

 not been broken off, come out quite low down the tree, 

 and there is a very regular gradation in size upwards, so 

 that a marked pyramidal or conical form is produced. 

 This symmetry is a mark of a very regular growth, and 

 may also be regarded as an indication of the natural 

 hardiness of this tree. Exposure on any one side does not 

 seem to affect the form as it does on many other trees. 



Some details are worth noting. For example, there is 

 the shape of the trunk. It also tapers very evenly ; it is, 

 in fact, a greatly elongated cone. Note also the droop of 



