COXTFKKyE. 309 



A. balsamea, Miller. (Balsam Kir. Halm of Gilead. Called in F)ij<i;lan(l 

 American Balsam Fir.) Syiiouynis : Pinus balsamifera, L. ; Picaabalsamifera, 

 Marshall. Trunk 20 to 50 feet in height, I to -l feet in diauKiter. I>ark dark- 

 gray, smooth or blistered, with resinous vesicles. Branches nearly horizontal, 

 numerous and slender, drooping when old. Leaves about an inch long, nar- 

 row, linear, spreading, and slightly turned hack, green above, silvery under- 

 neath. Cones cylindrical, 4 inches long, violet colored, scales thin, smooth, 

 obo^'ate or subspatulate, and slightly mucronate. Seeds small, angular. 



Var. longifolia. Booth. Leaves longer, branches more ujn-ight, than 

 A. balsamea. 



\'ar. variegata. Knight. Some of the leaves have a yellowish cast, con- 

 trasting with the silvery sheen of the others, and forming a beautiful object 

 for the lawn. This feature is made the most of by nurserymen and dealers 

 in trees. 



Geography. — The home of the l)alsain tir is northeastern \orth America. 

 Lower Canada, especially Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia al)0und 

 in this tree. It is found in the mountainous parts of the middle states, 

 especially in the Adirondack regions, and west to Wisconsin. It loves a cold, 

 damp soil. 



Etjpnologij. — Abies is the Latin for fir tree. Balsamea, Latin for "of 

 balsam," is due to the resinous character of the bark. Fir is from the 

 Anglo-Saxon f'ur/i, a kind of oak. Balm is a contraction of halsan,. 



Histori/. — The balsam fir is a native of North America, and was introduced 

 into England by Bishop Compton about the end of the seventeenth century. 

 It is a beautiful object while young, but on account of the dense rann'ficatinn, 

 the branchlets and leaves of the lower branches near the trunk die for want 

 of light, and the tree becomes unsightly ; on this account it has been for many 

 years discarded by planters. In its native woods, in Nova Scotia jiartieularly, 

 the snow lodging upon its branches causes them to droop, and thus partially 

 conceal the silvery sheen of the under surface of the leaves. In the hilly 

 regions of Nova Scotia the sides of the wood-roads are walled forty to fifty 

 feet in height with the silvery green of this beautiful tree. 



Use. — The wood of the lialsam fir is resinous, yellow, soft, and easily 

 worked, but is not large enough to be valuable for building purposes. The 

 gum, or resin, known as Canada Balsam, is obtained from the bark by punc- 

 turing it. From these wounds the resin fiows out in a viscid fiuid, about the 

 consistency of honey, which hardens after exposure to the air. 



It enters into the materia medica, and is administered in the form of pills 

 for stomach troubles, and also for l)ronchial affections. It is transparent, and 

 used to incase in.sects and other perishable »)bjects, for the microscojje, and for 

 sotting the glasses of microscopic lenses, and is an ingredient in the manufae- 

 ture of varnish. 



LAEIX, Mx. (Larch. Tamarack. Ilackmatac.) .\ments scattered 

 over the branches, resembling buds; anthers 2-celled ; cone's retlexed. 

 subglobnlar ; scales persistent, the subtending .scale conspicuous ; 

 seeds winged. Leaves deciduous, .soft, thread-like, in fascicles or 

 scattered on this year's shoots. 



1. L. laricina, Hu ]^)i. (.Vmorican Larch. Black Larch.) Trunk SO to 100 

 feet in height. Bark dark and rough. Branches horizontal or lirooping; 



