198 THE FIRS 



It produces seed abundantly. Its cones are conspicuously 

 large, and as on all other Firs stand upright on the limbs and 

 mature the first year. It cannot be learned that any effort 

 has been made looking to reproduction, and there is not 

 likely to be any until the more popular species of timber 

 trees are exhausted. When that time arrives, it will dawn 

 upon those who must have lumber that the Firs here de- 

 scribed have a real economic value and are worth preserva- 

 tion. It will be the same as it is in the Eastern States with 

 the Spruces, Hemlocks, the Red Oak class, and other species 

 which at one time were deemed worthless, and were so in 

 comparison with White Pine and the White Oak class, but 

 which are now bringing prices equal to if not greater than 

 those that the latter brought when they were the most 

 rapidly exploited. 



