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grows to the height of one hundred and fifty feat, with a diameter 

 of eight or ten feet. It yields a great deal of valuable resin».. 

 ■which is closely like that which is found in a fossilized form ia 

 districts where tbe tree no longer grows. Amber is the fossil resin 

 of an extinct pine, and there is no doubt that the good state of 

 preservation of some coniferous wood is due to the resin it contains^ 

 and does not the protective nature of their resin account for th© 

 hardiness of the Conifers as a family ? The common Cypress- 

 (Cupressiis sempervirens) is famous not only for its size, but for the 

 great age it attains. Its timber is rarely attacked by insects, and 

 is so durable that it lasts hundreds of years. An Italian specimen 

 of great size was looked upon as a veteran as long as six hundred 

 years ago. The " Monkey tree " of Chili is peculiar among Coni- 

 fers, if only on account of its broad sharp leaves, which are " too- 

 much of a good thing" for the monkeys, for they cannot climb the 

 tree. Hence the native name of it means "monkey puzzle.'^ 

 Botanists call it Araucaria imbricata. It has the staminate 

 flowers on one tree, and the fertile flowers on another, like our 

 ■willows. This cone-bearing tree reaches a height of one hundred 

 feet, and furnishes a large supply of edible seeds, much prized by 

 the natives. The largest tree in Japan is a conifer called Cryp- 

 tomeria japonica. It reaches a hundred and twenty feet in height,, 

 and forms the chief part of many forests. The cones are in shape 

 and size like marbles, but rather prickly, and the wood, like that 

 of many other trees of the order, is not only of a rich colour, but 

 very fragrant. The common Larch must not be forgotten, for it is 

 one of the most valuable of trees. The Weymouth pine (Pinus 

 strobnsj is a great handsome tree, with silvery leaves. The giant, 

 (or sugar) pine towers up three hundred feet, and is of large 

 diameter. It yields a clear exudation, with a sugary taste, and 

 has cones from twelve inches to eighteen inches long. A tall and 

 showy tree is the Virginian juniper, or pencil cedar, so called 

 because its rich-coloured fragrant wood is very largely used for 

 pencils, or cedar pencils, as we often call them. Several other 

 pines, by which is meant true pines, as distinct from spruce firs 

 and silver firs, must be almost passed over, although they are 

 stately trees and of very great value. Their names are suggestive — 

 Pinus australis, pinus canariensis, pinus excelsa, pinus instgnis, pinus longi' 

 folia, pinus miiricata, pinus pinaster, the \m.gQ pinus ponderosa, and the 

 Corsican pine, pinus laricio, A variety of this last is called the 

 Austrian pine, which is largely planted on the Lower Road, and is a 

 good tree for such a situation. In the spring the whitish shoots 

 contrast well with the rich green of the old leaves, and the trees 

 are handsome so long as they are left alone. Their branches are 

 in tiers or whorls, which give them a very regular appearance;: 



