236 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



that grow in America, and they are known 

 by the names of black or double spruce, white 

 or single spruce, hemlock spruce, and balm of 

 Gilead. And first of the black. 



" You remember, I hope, the difference in 

 the form of the leaves by which you may 

 always know pines from spruces V 



" Oh yes, Uncle Philip ; the leaves of the 

 pines are long, and always grow in pairs or 

 in bunches of three or four, fastened together 

 where they stick to the branches : and they 

 almost always grow from the ends of the 

 branches ; but the leaves of the spruce are 

 short, and grow equally all along the branches 

 like the feathers on the sides of a quill." 



"Very well, my dear; I am glad to find 

 that you remember it, for this is an important 

 distinction. The black spruce is a northern 

 tree, and seems to prefer cold climates ; in 

 Canada and the Eastern States, and the 

 northern parts of New- York, it is very com- 

 mon ; it is said that in most of the forests 

 in those parts of the country, the black 

 spruces are equal in number to a third of all 

 the other trees together : farther south it is 

 scarce, and, indeed, is hardly ever seen except 

 upon some cold spots among the Alleghany 



