514 OUR WOODLAND TREES. 
furnished with prominent mid-ribs. On their 
under sides, along on each side of their mid-ribs, is 
a line of silvery white which gives to the foliage, 
which is frequently turned up, showing the under 
sides of the leaves, a gloss as of silver, very con- 
spicuous when the sun is shining, and even at 
night when subject to the light of the moon. In- 
stead of being borne equally all around the stems, 
the leaves are clustered along on two of its sides 
only, thus giving a flat or depressed appearance to 
the twigs. The cones of the Silver Fir (see illus- 
tration on page 515) are cylindrical in shape, and 
it is characteristic of the Tree that they are borne 
erect on the twigs, and not pendulous, as in 
some other species of Conifers. 
Picea pectinata attains a height not unfre- 
quently of a hundred feet, and it has been known 
—though the instances are not numerous—to 
grow a hundred and fifty feet high. There is one 
standing at Longleat a hundred and twenty-five 
feet high. Less hardy, however, than some of the 
Conifers, the Silver Fir prefers a situation ata 
lower elevation than that suitable for most of its 
kind, and a soil of some depth, rich and loamy 
