220 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [SEPTEMBER 
WwooD 
Pifion wood is moderately heavy for the pines. It is used exten- 
sively for fuel and has been limitedly used for fence posts, telephone 
poles, corral posts, mine lagging, railroad ties, charcoal, and inferior 
lumber. Some authorities have recommended its use for fence posts, 
but this is to be seriously questioned as it has little durability in contact 
with the soil, and even the natives are discarding it for such use. It 
may be rendered valuable, however, by the use of preservatives. The 
tree is remarkable in its fuel value, and its use for such a purpose 
should be greatly encouraged. It is a common practice to cut 
branches or trees after they have been dead about two years. If 
cut before this time, the wood has not seasoned sufficiently to burn 
readily. If cut after this time, it has usually deteriorated to some 
extent. As a hearth fuel, it is not surpassed by another conifer and 
by only few hardwoods. It starts to burn readily, retains fire for a con- 
siderable length of time, gives a large amount of heat, and does not 
throw sparks. Since open fires are very common in this region, this 
wood serves an excellent purpose. Sample acres which have been 
clear cut have given a yield of 180 to 360%™ per hectare (20 to 4° 
cords per acre), while extensive stands have averaged go to 108% ™ 
(10 to 12 cords). 
FRUIT 
The young cones are dark red and occur in elongated clusters. 
The pistillate form is easily distinguished by short stalks. Both 
sorts are very plentiful in seed years, but are scarce during other 
years. The mature cone is short, top-shaped, 19 to 50"™ (0.75 
2") long and often as broad as long. The cones open on the tree 
and are covered by a large amount of free resin, which makes aes 
difficult to handle. They often occur on trees only 0.9 to 3° 
(3 to 4 feet) in height, which are ten to twenty years old, but the best 
crops are borne on mature trees which produce 35 to 280 (1 
bushels) of cones; each cone contains two to thirty seeds, with _ 
average of ten to twenty seeds. The trees have been known to yiel 
336 of seed per hectare (300 pounds per acre), while a much large 
area has been known to produce an average of 7 3k# per hectare (65 
pounds per acre). 
