248 



TREES GROWING IN SANDY SOIL. 



gans by which these great beings reproduce themselves. The 

 fertile flowers of the pines proper grow in scaly catkins which 

 later develop into cones. Their pistils are not, as ordinarily, 

 leaves rolled together so as to form closed pods. They are 

 always open, scale-like leaves which bear on their inner sur- 

 faces, near the base, two or more ovules. About the woody 

 axis of the cone they grow in a spiral fashion, subtended by 

 the woody cone-scales. When the pollen is falling from the 

 stamens these pistil leaves of the young cone are ready to re- 

 ceive it, that it may fall directly upon the exposed ovules. As 

 it slips in between the opening scales it is caught by a tiny 

 drop of fluid which exudes from the coat of the ovule. When 

 the fluid is then absorbed, the little grain comes closely in con- 

 tact with the ovule's surface. As soon as this is accomplished 

 the cone-scales close tightly over each other to protect the 

 forming seeds, and not until they are ripe do they again diverge 

 and assume a drooping position to allow of their escape. The 

 sterile flowers also are simple, almost primitive in construction. 

 They grow in long, close tufts at the ends of the branches, 

 for both sorts of flowers are produced on the same tree. We 

 may regard them as single stamens which have been reduced 

 to a two-celled anther with hardly any filament. From them 

 the pollen flies in golden clouds during the days of May. 

 Each little grain is floated about by two bladder-like wings. 

 They can be caught and examined under a microscope ; for it 

 only needs a quickened observation to see them abundantly 

 lying about. 



Pinus di varicata occurs both as a shrub and as a tree. It is 

 not very beautiful, for its short needles give it a blunt, obtuse 

 look. But its wood is much used for the making of charcoal. 

 It is quite resinous. The Canadian Indians find it easy to 

 work and often construct from it the frames of their canoes. 



About the tree still clings some fetish idea, and in parts of 

 the country, women, to whom it is especially supposed to work 

 inisch'cf, loudly declare that they would not pass within ten 



