Abies.] LXXVI. CONIFEEJE. 527 



Western. France, or in Britain. A variety with smaller cones (Siberian Spruce) 

 forms large forests on the Ural Mountains, in Siberia, and Dahuria. In planta- 

 tions the Spruce succeeds more readily than most conifers. It is the principal 

 tree in the forests of the higher Harz, and of a great portion of the Saxon forests, 

 where it is almost exclusively regenerated by planting. On the other hand, 

 on the Schwarzwald, on the Vosges, and on the Jura, it reproduces itself without 

 difficulty from self-sown seedlings. The resinous ducts of the wood are few and 

 small, but the bark is highly_ resinous, and in former times the Spruce on the 

 Schwarzwald and in Thuringia were largely tapped for resin. For this purpose 

 a narrow longitudinal cut was made into the bark to the wood, and the dry resin 

 which collected in this channel was from time to time scraped off ; the cut 

 was occasionally enlarged, and thus old trees may still be seen on the Schwarz- 

 wald the trunks of which are furrowed with numerous deep longitudinal, chan- 

 nels, 4-5 ft. long. The wood of the Spruce, however, is much more liable to 

 dry-rot than that of P. Pitiaster, and the result is that almost all the old Spruces 

 tapped for resin are found rotten in the heart as high up as the channels, and 

 often higher, so that the lower part of the stem is useless. Apart from this, 

 there are other circumstances, not yet sufBciently investigated, which often 

 cause unsoundness in the heart of the Spruce. The wood, known in England 

 under the name of White Pine, or White Deal (imported from Norway and the 

 Baltic), has no distinct heartwood, and the cub. ft. weighs between 21 and 37 

 lb. (Nordlinger). 



2. A. dumosa, Loudon. — Syn. Firms dumosa, Don Prodr. PL Nep. 

 55 ; DC. Prodr. xvi. ii. 429. P. Bninoniana, Wall. ; PI. As. rar. t. 247. 

 Hemlock Spruce, of Nepal. Vern. Tangshing, ehangathasi dhup, Nepal ; 

 Semadung, Sikkim. 



A large tree with spreadmg branches and pendulous brancHets. Leaves 

 narrow-linear, ^-1 ia. long, edge recurved and finely serrulate near the 

 apex, covered beneath with a white mealy substance. Male catkins short, 

 subglobose, axillary, shorter than leaves, pedunculate ; numerous lax 

 ovate bracts at the base of peduncle. Cones terminal, erect or horizon- 

 tal, ovoid, 1 in. long, scales persistent, broad-eUiptic, obtuse, bracts not 

 apparent when the cone is ripe. Seeds winged. 



North-East Kamaon, first discovered by Capt. Webb, and found again by Mr 

 T. Webber, late of the Forest Dept. of the N.W. Provinces, Nepal. In the umer 

 valleys of Sikkim descending to 8000, and ascending to 10,500 ft Bhutan, f/- 

 May, Jime. Dr Hooker records one in Sikkim 120 ft. high and 28 ft girth. 

 Him Journ. ii. 108. The leaves are apt to fall from branches cut or broken ott, 

 and on this account Wallich first caUed it Pinm decidua. Not quite hardy in 

 England ; suffers from late spring frosts. Wood soft, white, not durable ; bark 

 used for roofing. 



The Hemlock Spruce of Canada, A. canadensis, Michaux, with short linear 

 distichous leaves, white beneath, and smaU terming toopmg cones, is a large 

 tree of Canada aid the northern United States. Wood not durable, and often 

 spu:aUy twisted, but the bark extensively used for tannmg leather. Hardy 



Thf bSTs^Sa. Douglasii, Lindl., is a tree forming extensive forests 

 in the val^ys oftheKocky fountains, in Vancouver's Island, Columbia, 

 and other parts of North-West America, which attams 300 ft and more 

 near the coast of the Pacific, and furmshes valuable timbw, very strong, 

 believed to be equal to the best Larch, has narrow-hnear leaves 1 in. long, white 



