PINE. 



(Pinus.} 



These trees were not regarded seriously until about the 

 latter half of the eighteenth century. Their woods are now 

 the principal ones in carpentry and construction, and are more 

 used than any others. They are to the soft woods what the 

 oaks are to the hard woods, and they stand at present with 

 reference to all woods much as iron does to all metals. Pine 

 is prized because of a combination of strength, elasticity, light 

 weight, working qualities, and availability, such as fits it for 

 those constructions requiring the largest quantities of wood. 



The pines have smooth, straight, solid trunks, usually 

 destitute of branches for many feet from the ground. There 

 are needle-shaped, more or less cylindrical, evergreen leaves 

 from one to many inches in length, gathered in clusters of 

 two, three, or five, their number and the fact that they are 

 thus clustered being important bases of classification. There 

 are also cones of woody overlapping scales. They reproduce 

 with difficulty,* and mature so slowly that ultimate survival of 

 modern conditions must probably be as cultivated trees. 



Thirty-nine of the seventy known species of pine are found 

 in the United States. These with their woods are separated 

 into two groups known as hard and soft pines. The Dantzic 

 or Northern pine (Pinus silvestris) is the principal European 

 species. 



* The roots of most species die with cutting of trees. There is no power of 

 producing new shoots. (The pitch pine {Pinus rigida) is an exception to this rule.) 

 Seeds also have short-lived vitality. Trees are easily raised from fresh seeds. 



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