The Firs, Proper. 



341 



167. Cone and Leaves of the Abies (jrandis. of 

 two-thirds the natural length. [Page 340.] 



wood is soft, white, brittle, 

 and not durable. The growth 

 of this species is more rapid 

 than that of most of the firs. 

 It prefers a rich and somewhat 

 humid soil, and river flats are 

 particularly favorable to its 

 success. It is not as liable to 

 suffer from late spring frosts, 

 as most other firs. 



1383. The Abies bracteata 

 is a tall, slender, and strictly 

 pyramidal tree, growing to 



.the height of 100 to 150 feet 

 and a diameter of two feet. 

 It occurs on Santa Lucia 

 Mountains, upon the Califor- 

 nia coast, along a narrow belt, perhaps a hundred miles in length, and 

 at an elevation of 3,000 feet and upwards above sea level. The long 

 bracts of the cones give them a bristly appearance, and suggest the 

 specific name. These bracts are, in fact, a modified form of leaves, 

 and somewhat resemble them in appearance. 



1384. We will conclude our notice of the firs by adding the most 

 important of the European species, it being convenient, in connec- 

 tion therewith, to present an engraving from Rossmassler, illustrating 

 the inflorescence, germination, and foliage of the species. 



1385. THE EUROPEAN SILVER FIR (Abies pectinata). This is an 

 important timber tree, and grows to a large size in the Pyrenees, the 

 Cevennes, the Alps, the Jura, and the Vosges, and some fine forests 

 are found in Northern Italy and in Normandy. The timber is softer 

 and less durable than that of the pine and larch, and it is much 

 used for shingles, cabinet-work, boat-building, and constructions 

 generally, and is not liable to warp or shrink. When young, the 

 tree is very tender, and easily injured by frost, which it seldom es- 

 capes many years together; but when it gets larger it becomes 

 hardy and thrives at high altitudes. It comes to a size profitable 

 for working in about seventy years, but lives to twice this age. The 

 Strasburg turpentine of druggists is obtained from this tree. The 



