THE CEDAR OF LEBANON. 499 
as hard as a ball of wood, composed of scales 
which, unlike fir cones, are pressed close together, 
forming an almost even surface. The colour of 
the cones is purplish brown, and they contain 
winged seeds, which, however, do not ripen for 
three years. More remarkable for the magnifi- 
cent spread of its branches than for its height, 
the Cedar of Lebanon nevertheless grows often- 
times as high as eighty feet. It was introduced 
into this country about two hundred years ago, 
and amongst the finest examples of living Trees is 
the one at Shobdon, which has a girth of trunk 
of nearly thirty feet. 
Whilst discussing the subject of the Conifers, or 
cone-bearing Trees, of which the Cedar is one of 
the most magnificent, we must briefly refer to 
some of the peculiar characters which distinguish 
this order of Trees. They are amongst the giants 
of our woodlands all the world over, attaining a 
height which is excelled by no other order of 
Trees—a height which is singularly impressive 
for the reason that when growing together in the 
great Pine forests, the Conifers develope no side 
branches, the branches which spring from the 
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