THE PINES 



Any one who has traveled south of Virginia, 

 even by the Pullman way of not seeing, cannot 

 fail to have noted the lovely green leaf-foun- 

 tains springing up from the ground along the 

 railroads. These are the young trees of the 

 long-leaved or Southern yellow pine. How 

 beautiful they are, these narrow leaves of vivid 

 green, more than a foot long, drooping grace- 

 fully from the center outward, with none of 

 the stiffness of our Northern species ! In some 

 places they seem to fairly bubble in green 

 from all the surface of the ground, so close 

 are they. And the grand long-leaved pine 

 itself, maintained in lusty vigor above these 

 greeneries, is a tree of simple dignity, empha- 

 sized strongly when seen at its best either 

 in the uncut forest, or in a planted avenue. 

 We of the North are helping to ruin the next 

 generation of Southern pines by lavish use, for 

 decorations, of the young trees of about two 

 feet high, crowded with the long drooping 

 emerald needles. The little cut-off pine lasts 

 a week or two, in a parlor — it took four or 

 five years to grow ! 



All pine-cones are interesting, and there is 



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