168 ARBOR DAY. 



most widely distributed of any tree in the United States. 

 I grow slowly, and produce a beautiful red, fragrant 

 wood, which is soft and very durable. My wood is now 

 mainly limited to the making of lead pencils. 



White Oak : Let us next hear from 



Balsam Fir (Alice) : I am a rather small, slender ever- 

 green, found in swamps, though often cultivated as an 

 ornament about dwellings. I arrive at my prime when 

 about fourteen years of age. 



White Oak : I shall now call on 



Arbor Vitae (Maud) : I thrive in the swamps of the 

 North, and afford shelter to wild animals. I am often 

 called White Cedar, and I furnish most of the telegraph 

 poles, some fence posts, railway ties, and blocks for paving 

 streets. I take a high place as an ornamental tree. 



White Oak : We have now heard from all the cone- 

 bearing evergreen trees who are present. There is another 

 tree of the state, not here present, which is cone-bearing, 

 and belongs to the Pine family. I refer to the Tamarack. 



OTHER MATTERS. 



White Oak : There are some other matters, appropriate 

 to Arbor Day, which demand our attention at this time. 

 How do the trees of Michigan compare in beauty and 

 variety with those of Great Britain, of which we read so 

 much? 



