1 5 1 WAYSIDE AND WOODLAND BLOSSOMS. 



long, produced, like those of the Hazel, late in autumn ; the 

 round red scales each holding three flowers, consisting of three, 

 four or five sepals, and as many stamens. The female spikes 

 are not produced till spring : they are more globular, and re- 

 semble minute cedar cones. The scales are reddish-brown and 

 fleshy, afterwards becoming hard and woody ; there are two or 

 three flowers in each, consisting of two sepals, an ovary and 

 two styles. When ripe (October) the thick scales separate and 

 set free the pale-brown nuts, which are very slightly winged. 



In suitable situations the Alder attains a stature of forty to 

 sixty feet, and reaches maturity in about sixty years. The 

 wood is soft and white, but turns orange by exposure after cut- 

 ting. Under water it is very enduring, all but imperishable, 

 and the Rialto at Venice is said to be built on Alder-piles. It 

 is greatly used in the manufacture of gunpowder. 



Alnus is the old Latin name for the tree, and for a boat. 



Scotch-fir or Pine (Pinus sylvestris). 



This, the Juniper, and^the Yew are the only coniferous trees 

 we have in Britain. Pinus sylvestris is therefore our only Pine, 

 yet people persist in calling it a Fir, a name more especially 

 belonging to the genus Abies. Time was when this beautiful 

 tree grew wild in many parts of Britain ; it is now found 

 naturally in but a few places, from Yorkshire northwards ; 

 otherwhere it has been planted. We may easily tell whether a 

 cone-bearing tree before us is a Pine or not by examining the 

 leaf-cluster. If the leaves are in twos, threes, or fives, bound 

 together at the base by thin, chaffy scales, it is a Pine. Should 

 they be in twos, the leaves will be found to be half-rounded ; if 

 in threes or fives, they will be triangular in section. The cones, 

 or fruits, of the Pines take two years to ripen. The scales of 

 which the cones are made up are thicker at the free end, so that 

 the outer surface of each scale is pyramidal. 



