243 THEES 



ened by these spirally arranged leaf-brackets. Leaf-sears 

 on a fir twig are level with the bark, leaving the twig 

 smooth. Spruce twigs are always roughened, as described 

 above. 



Most spruce trees have distinctly four-angled leaves, 

 sharp-pointed and distributed spirally around the shoot, 

 not two-ranked like fir leaves. They are all pyramidal 

 trees with flowers and fruits of the coniferous type. The 

 cones are always pendent and there is an annual crop. The 

 wood is soft, not conspicuously resinous, straight-grained 

 and valuable as lumber. 



The genus picea comprises eighteen species, seven of 

 which belong to American forests. These include some 

 of the most beautiful of coniferous trees. 



The Norway Spruce 



Picea excelsa. Link. 



The Norway spruce {see illustration, page 2^6) is the 

 commonest species in cultivation. It is extensively 

 planted for wind-breaks, hedges and shelter belts, where 

 its long lower arms rest on the ground and the upper limbs 

 shingle over the lower ones, forming a thick leafy shelter 

 against drifting snow and winds. 



The Black Spruce 



P. Mariana, B. S. & P. 



The black spruce is a ragged, unkempt dingy tree, with 

 short drooping branches, downy twigs, and stiff dark blue- 

 green foliage, scarcely half an inch long. Its cones, least 

 in size of all the spruce tribe, are about one inch long and 



