THE SCOTCH FIR. 539 
when these exist they are easily worked, and do 
not so readily drop out of the boards in which 
they are left, as is the case with the knots of Pine 
wood in general. For the quality of durability it 
is equal, when kept dry, to oak. It is light, yet 
stiff, straight, and strong, and is the most useful 
for all kinds of house carpentry; as, for instance, 
for girders, for joists, and for rafters. It is very 
useful, too, in naval architecture. The living Pine 
produces an abundance of turpentine, and tar also 
is manufactured from its wood. 
Scotch Pines live to a great age, examples 
having been recorded of individual Trees having 
existed for nearly two centuries and a half. One 
of their most remarkable characteristics is the 
readiness with which they will grow on the driest 
and poorest of soils, such as the débris of granite 
rock ; and, like the other individuals of their genus, 
they prefer the most exposed situations, where 
they add to the wild and solitary regions in which 
they grow—usurping the ground, as is the habit 
of their kind, to the exclusion of all other vegeta- 
tion—a singularly impressive aspect of grandeur. 
