i8 THE PINE FAMILY. 



for making pencils. It is softer and finer than that produced by other 

 species ; but so nearly exhausted has it been for this purpose that man- 

 ufacturers now have to content themselves with the still steady supply of 

 Juniperus Virginiana. 



J. Virginiana, red cedar, or savin, has perhaps the happiest knack of 

 versatility of all the trees and occurs in various forms from a low shrub to 

 a tree, often one hundred feet high. Throughout North America it is more 

 widely distributed than any other coniferous one, accommodating itself 

 readily to every condition of soil. In Kentucky and Tennessee on the lime- 

 stone hills it forms the " cedar brakes," and grows also luxuriously in 

 swamps and lowlands of the Gulf States. In general appearance its leaves 

 are like those of Juniperus barbadensis. They are ovate, scale-like and 

 grow opposite in pairs, or in rows along the slightly four-sided branchlets. 

 Only when the tree is very young are these leaves needle-shaped and spread 

 out from the then rounded twigs. During the winter they lose their bluish 

 glaucous look and become considerably darker. The drupes sit jauntily on 

 their short peduncle-like branchlets and are produced very abundantly. 

 They appear to be a soft, pastel shade of blue, a tint occasioned by the 

 bloom with which they are covered. 



The fragrant, bright red wood of the tree is valuable, as it does not 

 decay, and is much used for closets and chests, being objectionable to 

 moths. It is, however, most closely associated with the making of lead 

 pencils. In fact, it is a matter already under consideration to know which 

 tree will step into the breach when its abundant supply shall have been 

 exhausted. From the waste material which occurs in making these pencils 

 a paper is manufactured. It is used under carpets, and quite as extensively 

 for wrapping up furs, for its pungent odour is reputed to keep out moths. 



By the distillation of the tree tops a volatile oil is obtained known as that 

 of the red cedar. 



/. nana, low juniper, is also a very widely distributed shrub of the United 

 States and is well known as an inhabitant of Europe. Possibly its specific 

 name will eventually give way to that of Sibirica, an earlier publication, when 

 the plants are better represented in herbaria from their extreme ranges. It 

 is at best a low, sprawling shrub frequenting high mountain tops in the south. 

 Its lanceolate-linear leaves grow in whorls of three and densely clothe the 

 branchlets. They are stout and rigid and as sharply pointed as needles. 

 On their upper sides they are bright green and glaucous and emit when 

 dried a strong fragrance. The berry-like cones are sessile and larger than 

 those of the preceding species. There is something very invigourating and 

 fresh in the aspect of this plant, especially when it grows in its irregular way 

 over the ground. For a long time the North American Indians have used 



