THE CONIFEROUS FOEESTS 



While the regions that have just 

 been mentioned exhibit the health and 

 vigor of coniferous forests under favor- 

 able natural conditions, there are cer- 

 tain portions of the Rocky Mountains 

 where the climate is too dry and the 

 topography and soil are too austere 

 and rocky to suit even that hardy class 

 of trees. So here, under circumstances 

 that may almost be pronounced abnor- 

 mal for forest growth, the evergreens 

 fight a harder battle, while the broad- 

 leaf trees, with the exception of the 

 poplar tribe, are scarce indeed. "We 

 must, therefore, turn to the more typi- 

 cal coniferous forests that have en- 

 joyed at least a fair share of nature's 

 gifts — whether it be within the range 

 of the Rocky Mountains or elsewhere 

 — to understand those peculiar quali- 

 119 



