in Extra- Tropical Countries. 



281 



A pine of pyramidal growth, to 100 feet high. The timber is pale, 

 heavy, resinous, and as highly valued as that of the common larch; 

 it is close-grained, well adapted for underground work; it combines 

 lightness, strength and durability; much sought by ship-builders, as 

 for knees, bends and ship-garlands it cannot be surpassed (Robb); 

 much in use also for railway-ties. Rate of circumferential stem- 

 growth in Nebraska two feet in ten years (Furnas). P. laricina 

 (Du Roi) is by far the oldest name for this larch, as pointed out by 

 Prof. C. Koch. 



Pinus picea, Du Roi.* (P. Abies, Linn<$.) 



Norway-Spruce, Fichte. Middle and Northern Europe and North- 

 ern Asia, rising from the plains to an elevation of 4,500 feet, and 

 forming extensive forests. It exceeds even the birch in endurance of 

 cold. Indigenous in Norway to lat. 69 30' (Schuebeler). Adapted 

 to most kinds of soil. The tree attains a height of 150 feet or even 

 more, and furnishes an excellent timber, commonly known under the 

 name of White Deal, for building and furniture, for masts, spars, 

 ladders and oars. Stems of 6 feet diameter are on record with more 

 than 200 wood-rings. It also produces the Burgundy-pitch in 

 quantity, while the bark is used for tanning. Though enduring dry 

 summers, this spruce would have to be restricted for timber-purposes 

 to damp mountains. A variety with pendent branches occurs. 

 Hemsley mentions other forms of this spruce, and indeed many 

 varieties of other species of Pinus. Britain alone imported in recent 

 time pinewood to the value of nine millions sterling annually, of 

 which P. picea must have furnished a considerable portion. 



Pinus Pinaster, Solander.* (P. maritima, Poiret and De Candolle.) 



Cluster-Pine. From the shores to the mountains of the countries 

 on the Mediterranean Sea. The tree rises to about 60 feet in height. 

 The wood is soft and resinous; it yields largely the French turpen- 

 tine. Among the best of pines for consolidating sandy coasts, and 

 for converting rolling sands into pastoral and agricultural laud. For 

 ease of rearing and rapidity of growth one of the most important of 

 all pines. Average-growth at Port Phillip 40 feet in 20 years. On 

 the testimony of Mr. J. Hoopes, it does not thrive well on calcareous 

 soil. W. J. Winter observed, that P. Pinaster and the allied P. Pinea 

 can withstand an occasional shade-temperature of 118 F. A tree 60 

 to 70 years old, heavily tapped, yields 12 to 16 Ibs. of turpentine, 

 equal to 4 Ibs. of resin, the rest being oil of turpentine (Siinmonds). 

 The tree comes into full flow of turpentine at about 25 years, and the 

 tapping process, if only a slight one, is endured by this pine for an 

 enormous length of time. Thus the annual production of resin from 

 a good tree fluctuates between 5 and 8 Ibs. The quantity of resin 

 gathered in France during 1874 was about sixty million pounds 

 (Crouzetter-Desnoyers). The felling of up-grown pines, planted with 

 wise foresight for antimalarian and other hygienic purposes at 

 places of centres of population, can but be regarded as most 



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