258 Geology and Botany of Northern Pacific Railroad. 



caulis, and P. contorta. Of these, the first is the most gigantic 

 species of the genus, attaining in its chosen habitat in this range 

 of mountains, a height of 300 feet and a diameter of from 12 to 

 15 feet. P. monticola is much smaller, hardly equalling in di- 

 mensions its eastern representative, the white pine, but closely 

 resembling it in general habit and miner botanical characters. 

 On the mountains it is less abundant than in the valley of Clark's 

 Fork, but attains somewhat larger size. This, with the sugar 

 pine and white pine, constitute a well defined sub-genus, charac- 

 terized by five-leaved and blue-green foliage ; fusiform, resin- 

 ous, imbricated cones, hanging on the ends of a few large and 

 high branches ; and in the character of the wood. Three firs, 

 designating by that name those bearing erect cones with perma- 

 nent axes and deciduous scales, are also common, viz., Abies 

 grandis, A. nobilis, and A. am.abilis. Of these, the first is the 

 western balsam-fir, resembling our eastern balsam, but a more 

 magnificent tree, attaining an altitude of 300 feet. The last two 

 are remarkable for the magnitude of their cones, which are six 

 inches in length and two and a half in diameter, the first deco- 

 rated with reflexed and fimbriated bracts, the second purple in 

 color and dotted over with resin. Four spruces, Douglas's, Men- 

 zies's, Patton's, and the hemlock, are there. Of these, the first 

 is the largest and the most abundant, attaining an altitude of 

 over 300 feet and a diameter of 10 feet ; Menzies's spruce (Abies 

 Sitchensis) grows to a height of over 200 feet, and is generally as 

 strict as a church spire ; the hemlock is comparatively rare on 

 the high lands, and is only seen at its best in the valleys ; Pat- 

 ton's spruce (Abies Pattoniana) is a near relative of the hem- 

 lock, having the same feathery foliage, but that which is denser 

 and richer. On the whole, it is in my judgment the handsomest 

 of all the conifers. On some of the Alpine meadows among the 

 snow mountains — especially the Three Sisters — are scattered in- 

 dividual trees or groups of two or three kinds of fir and spruce, 

 which surpass in symmetry and graceful grouping any human 

 achievement in the way of landscape gardening. Where the fir 

 forests are most dense, the trees are so thickly set that two great 

 trunks may generally be reached by the extended arms. No un- 

 dergrowth occupies the ground, and the foliage of the firs is con- 

 fined to the higher branches, which interlock to make a roof 



