﻿170 Canadian Record of Science. 



Prof. Bell, M.I)., President of the Fourth Section of the 

 Royal Society, has very kindly made careful observations, 

 and communicated them to me, on the several points 

 of difference between the white and black spruces. 

 Throuoli his kindness, also, I have had opportunity of 

 examining specimens from widely separated localities 

 throughout the Dominion. His opportunities of travel, 

 for observation and collection of specimens, during his 

 long connection with the Geological Survey of Canada, 

 have been exceptionally favorable. Dr. Bell points out 

 that the most obvious distinctions between the black and 

 white spruce are (1) that the latter is a larger tree 

 than the black, coarser,' lighter in general color, as w^ell as 

 in color of bark, twigs, etc. ; (2) that, in the white spruce, 

 the boughs are stiff'er, more vigorous, and flatter than 

 in the black ; (3) that the cones differ in many wa}'s : 

 in the white, they are scattered all over the tree, although 

 most abundant near the top, and drop off every year, 

 whereas the black spruce cones adhere for two, three, four 

 or five years — the current year's crop lieing at the top 

 (mostly), the previous year's next below, that of the year 

 Ijefore still farther down, etc., the quantity of cones 

 diminishing downwards and their age increasing. (4). 

 The' white spruce cone is finger-shaped, and green in color 

 till it dries and opens, whereas the black is deep purple 

 and plum-shaped, bulging in the centre. (5). The white, 

 is attached by a straight peduncle, the black by a curved 

 thickening one. (6). The number of scales in each is very 

 different, numerous counts of the scales of cones from 

 many trees in northern regions of the Dominion yielding 

 the following results : the white spruce cone seldom 

 has fewer than 60 scales or more than 90 — average about 

 70 ; whilst the black seldom has many over 30, the 

 average may be about 33 — so that the white spruce cone 

 has more than double the number that the black has. 

 Eleven white spruce cones from a tree at Kingston,. 



