in Extra-Tropical Countries. 267 



Pinus Abies, Du Roi.* (Pinus Picea, Linnl.) 



Silver-Fir, Tanne. Middle and South-Europe, extending to the 

 Caucasian mountains, ascending the Pyrenees to 6,000 feet. It 

 will endure the climate of Norway to lat. 67 56' (Schuebeler). A fine 

 tree, already the charm of the ancients, attaining about 200 feet in 

 height and 20 feet in circumference of stem, reaching an age of 300 

 years. It furnishes a most valuable timber for building as well as 

 furniture, and in respect to lightness, toughness and elasticity it is 

 even more esteemed than the Norway-Spruce, but it is not so good 

 for fuel or charcoal; it is pale, light, not very resinous, and is mostly 

 employed for the finer works of joiners and cabinet-makers, for sound- 

 ing boards of musical instruments, largely for toys, also for lucifer- 

 matches, for coopers' and turners' work, and for masts and spars. It 

 also yields a fine white resin and the Strasburg-turpeutine, similar 

 to the Venetian. Besides the above normal form the following two 

 main-varieties occur: P.Abies var. Cephalonica, Parlatore (P. Ceplia- 

 Itfnica, Endlicher), Greece, 3,000 to 5,000 feet above the sea. A tree 

 60 feet high, with a stem-circumference of 10 feet. The wood is very 

 hard and durable, and much esteemed for building. General Napier 

 mentions, that in pulling down some houses at Argostoli, which had 

 been built 150 to 300 years, all the wood-work of this fir was found 

 as hard as oak and perfectly sound. The very resinous wood probably 

 of a variety of this or an allied species was used by Stradivari and 

 his sons for making the famous Italian violins in the last century. 

 P. Abies var. Nordmanniana, Parlatore (P. Nordmanniana, Steven), 

 Crimea and Circassia, to 6,000 above the sea. Can be grown in Nor- 

 way to lat. 61 P 15'. This is one of the most imposing firs, attaining 

 a height of about 100 feet, with a perfectly straight stem. It fur- 

 nishes a valuable building-timber. The Silver-Fir is desirable for 

 mountain-forests. It will grow on sand, but only half as fast as 

 P. Pinaster. In Britain the upward growth is about 50 feet in 30 

 years. 



Pinus alba, Aiton. 



White Spruce. From Canada to Carolina, up to the highest 

 mountains. It resembles P. picea, but is smaller, at most 50 feet 

 high. Exudes a superior resin. It bears the shears well, when 

 trained for hedges, which are strong, enduring and compact ( J. Hicks). 

 The bark richer in tannin than that of the Hemlock- Spruce. The 

 timber well adapted for deal-boards, spars and many other purposes, 

 but on the whole inferior to that of the Black Spruce. The tree 

 grows in damp situations or swampy ground. Eligible for alpine 

 regions. Hardy in Norway to lat. 67 56'. P. Eugelmanni (Parry) 

 is closely akin; it occurs in British Columbia; stem to 3 feet in 

 diameter; wood excellent and durable (Dr. G. Dawson). 



Pinus albicaulis, Engelmann. 



British Columbia and California, ascending to 9,000 feet. Akin 

 to P. flexilis. Extremely hardy, resisting the most boisterous weather, 



