CONE-BEARERS 39 



upper limbs; the scales deciduous, leaving the axis of 

 the cone standing on the branchlet. 



Male flowers from the axils of last year's leaves, 

 oblong, becoming pendent, profusely decorating the 

 under border of the fern-like branchlets. 



The wood of the firs, while not so valuable, gener- 

 ally, as the Yellow and White Pines, is quite strong, 

 and is used for bridge timbers, some of the species 

 for piling, for interior finish, and for cooperage. 

 Being odorless it is well adapted for butter and fruit 

 boxes, etc. - 



The Firs of Northwest" America may be considered 

 in two groups Large-cone and Small-cone Firs. 



ENGLISH NAMES FOR THE GROUPS AND SPECIES. 



Before classifying and describing our western species, 

 the great difficulty of selecting the best, i. e., the correct 

 and shortest English names for them, may be discussed. 



The leaves of many species of Fir, both in the Old and 

 New World, are striped beneath with a double set of 

 long lines of white stomata or breathing pores, giving 

 the foliage a glistening sheen of silver, and winning for 

 such firs the name from antiquity of "Silver Firs." Each 

 of our two groups Large-cone and Small-cone has two 

 Silver Firs in it. Abies magnified and its marked vari( ty 

 or sub-species, Shastensis, are in the Large-cone group; 

 while A concolor, and its marked variety, Lowiana, are 

 with the Small-cones. 



The two first mentioned have very striking, madder- 

 red bark (detected when cut or broken), winning for them 



