THE SPECIES. 23 



viously seen in the bud, and the bracts that accompany each lateral 

 twig are the erstwhile bud scales. 



The cones of the pines are produced at the outer ends of the 

 branch growth for each season. They appear there in an inconspicu- 

 ous form at first, but as their maturity requires two seasons, they 

 appear when ripe at the end of the growth of the season next pre- 

 ceding. The pollen flowers, on the other hand, appear at the base of 

 the shoot of the season. The mature cones of the pine are oval or 

 oblong in form, hard, woody, and vary greatly in size among the 

 native species. 



There are two series of pines, commonly known as white and yel- 

 low. The former, among the species of the northern Rockies, is rec- 

 ognized by leaves borne in clusters of .five and by the smoother points 

 of the cone scale ; the wood of the white pine is usually softer, lighter 

 in weight and color, and less resinous than that of the yellow pine. 

 The leaves of the yellow pines are in twos or threes; the cone scales 

 are prickly, and the wood darker and more resinous. 



The western yellow pine. The most common and widespread of 

 the pines of the northern Rockies is the one known as the Western 

 Yellow Pine (Finns ponderosa}. It is found, in fact, all over tha 

 western half of North America, from the Black Hills to the coast and 

 from British Columbia to Mexico, in some places forming splendid 

 forests, in others reduced to scattered and impoverished specimens 

 along the rim rock of the Missouri and the Yellowstone. It is the 

 most drouth resisting of our forest trees. It gradually invades the 

 grasslands and covers them with forests. It is a tree that demands 

 a great deal of light, hence it never forms dense forests, but more or 

 less open stands with grass and some shrubs beneath. Its seeds are 

 scattered far and in great numbers. 



This tree is recognized by its leaves, cones, and bark. The leaves 

 are about 6 inches in length, the longest of any of the Montana pines. 

 They are usually found in clusters of three. The cones are oval, 

 about 4 inches in length, firm, dark brown or purplish, and each 

 scale is armed at the end with a sharp recurved barb or pickle, which 

 later falls off. As in all pines, there are two seeds on the upper sur- 

 face of each scale, and below the scale a very small and inconspicuous 

 bract. The cones open in August or September to discharge their 

 seeds. Squirrels are very fond of the seeds and cut off and store great 

 quantities of the cones ; several bushels may sometimes be thus stored 

 away beneath a pile of logs or brush, where tell-tale piles of scales 

 reveal the secret, and may lead to the loss of the store if some seed- 

 hunting forester happens by. 



But some seeds escape the squirrels, and perchance also the birds 

 and mice, and, if they fall on good ground and are favored with 

 moisture and warmth, in time bring forth young trees. At first there 

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