32 



THREE LEAVES OF THE CHESTNUT OAK 

 SHOWING THE VARIATIONS IN FORM, SIZE, 

 AND CONTOUR: SPECIMENS FROM THE 

 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 



Fig. 10 It is not only interesting but of the 

 greatest importance to compare leaves coming 

 from the same tree that is, with respect to form, 

 size and venation. 



which is the American Yew or Hem- 

 lock (7\ canadensis). On the other 

 hand, the Pine family includes the 

 Pines (Pinus), the Larches (Larix), 

 the Spruces (Picea), the Fir (Abies), 

 the Hemlocks (Tsuga), two gen- 

 era of Cypresses (Taxodium and 

 Chamaecyparis) , the Arbor Vitae 

 (Thuja), and the Juniper (Juni- 

 perus). In the lists of other dendro- 

 logists, we will find the Douglas 

 Spruce in a separate genus (Pseud o- 

 tsuga) ; the enormous Redwoods of 

 California in the genus Sequoia; the 

 Incense Cedar (Libocedrus) , and 

 (Crepressus) . 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



offer different and very valuable products for the use of man, or at least 

 such as man has made use of in his industries. 



A pine tree can easily be distinguished from any other representative of 

 the Coniferae by the needle-like leaves appearing in clusters of from one 

 to five needles. There are two in the case of the White Pine (Pinus strobus). 

 At their base, these needle-like leaves are enclosed in a sort of papery 

 sheath. These are shed in the "soft pines" as soon as their leaves are 

 developed, while in the pitch pine the leaves and their sheaths are shed 

 simultaneously. 



The Jersey Pine (Figs, i and 2) is so named for the reason that it is 

 very abundant on the barren and good-for-nothing soil of New Jersey 

 that is, "the barrens." It is a sorry-looking old tree in this area, doing its 

 best to make the region appear more attractive than it has any claim to. In 

 the middle West, however, this same species may attain to a height of an 

 hundred feet or more, and will move any tree lover to admiration. 



In some localities they make tar 

 from this Jersey scrub pine ; and its 

 wood is of some little value, even if 

 used for no other purpose beyond the 

 making of fences or burning it for 

 fuel. 



As already pointed out, the Junipers 

 differ from all the other Coniferae 

 in not being cone-bearers. There are 

 between 30 and 40 species of them 

 found in all countries north of the 

 Equator. A very good example of 

 the group is our common Red Juni- 

 per or Red Cedar (Figs. 3 and 4). 

 It is a most valuable tree in all- par- 

 ticulars, as its wood is extremely use- 

 ful in the trades and arts ; it will 



THE CHINQUAPIN (Castanea pumila) IS THE 

 ONLY OTHER REPRESENTATIVE OF THE 

 GENUS TO WHICH IT AND THE CHESTNUT 

 BELONG (C. dentata). 



Fig. 12 It is a shrub, and reminds one very much 

 of a miniature chestnut tree, when met with in the 

 dry woods and thickets where it grows. 



another genus of Cypresses added 

 There are more or fewer species in all of these genera, and 

 it must be obviously out of the question even to enumerate them in a brief 

 article like the present one. For example, there are at least a dozen species 

 of Pines ; five different kinds of Junipers ; nearly as many Spruces, and 

 so on this enumeration being for the northeastern section of the United 

 States alone; whereas, if we take the whole country, the list is far more 

 extensive. There are no fewer than twenty-one species of Pines in the 

 United States, and so on for the rest enumerated above. A list of all the 

 Pines known runs over six hundred species ; so we see that the coniferous 

 group is a very large one indeed, and a very important one, in so far as man's 

 interests are concerned. 



It may be said in general of these evergreen and cone-bearing pines, that 

 they are of several more or less distinct kinds, as the hard and soft pines, 

 the yellow pine and pitch pine, the Georgia and Jack pines. Each of these 



TWO LEAVES SHOWING THE DIFFERENCE 

 BETWEEN THOSE OF THE CHESTNUT (Cas- 

 tanea dentata) AND THE CHESTNUT OAK 

 (Quercus dentata). 



Fig. 11 The Chestnut Oak is on the right hand 

 side of the picture, and seen to be "undulately 

 crenate-toothed," while the Chestnut leaf is "ob- 

 long-lanceolate, pointed, serrate, with coarse 

 pointed teeth, acute at base." Chestnut leaves are 

 also green on both sides when mature. 



