PINE FAMILY 



bark, and fairly clear of resin. They are scattered along the 

 branches and are not very numerous. They hold their seeds 

 fairly well. In the spring as the snow begins to go and the 

 birds come back, the little red-breasted cross-bill stops on 

 its way north to feed on these seeds. The birds come in 

 flocks and take possession of a tree ; and it is interesting 

 to see their little hooked bills jerk out the seeds from the 

 cones. The Red Pine should find a place in every park. 



LOBLOLLY PINE. OLD FIELD PINE 



Plnus tatda. 

 Taeda, the torch, was the classical name of a resinous pine tree. 



Varying from eighty to one hundred feet with a tall straight trunk. 

 A southern tree but ranging as far north as New Jersey. Inhabits 

 the low lands adjacent to tide-water : rarely makes pure forests. 

 Loves the swamps, but is found in 

 the sandy borders of Pine-barrens. 

 In the southwest it becomes an im- 

 portant timber tree. Grows rapidly; 

 tap root large and strong. Fragrant. 



Bark. Reddish brown with shal- 

 low fissures and broad, flat, scaly 

 ridges. Branchlets glaucous, 

 smooth, yellow brown and covered 

 with the brown, reflexed, inner 

 scales of the branch-buds which 

 persist for several years. 



Wood, Variable in value, light 

 brown, sapwood pale. The more 

 northern tree produces lumber 

 which is weak, ' brittle, coarse- 

 grained, not durable ; the southern 

 tree produces a better quality ; 

 resinous. 



Buds. Branch - buds, obovate- 

 oblong, acute or acuminate at 

 apex, with brown scales which 

 terminate in long, slender, dark 

 tips. Terminal buds much larger 

 than the lateral buds. 



452 



Loblolly Pine, P inus taeda. 

 Leaves (/ to ic/ long. 



