THE TRUE PINES. 



ii/V 



subject to warp and split, is rejected, and never used for archi- 

 tectural purposes ; but the Cheel timber, found growing in all 

 places at an elevation of 5000 feet and upwards, with a northern 

 aspect and on poor soil, is invariably the straight-fibred kind, 

 and the timber is good. Again, in southern localities and lower 

 down, it is twisted in the fibre, and but of little use for house- 

 building and similar purposes. The better variety, however, is 

 extensively used for boat-building in India; but boats built of 

 its wood do not last more than six or seven years, the timber 

 being liable to rot, if exposed to the weather ; while, on the 

 other hand, if protected, it is well adapted for house-building 

 purposes, although for ship-building and spars it is almost use- 

 less, as it resists so badly the effects of the weather, and is so 

 soft; but the quality of its timber differs more, perhaps, than that 

 of any other pine, consequent on its growing in high or low situa- 

 tions. The forests near Almorah, at an elevation of 4500 feet, 

 produce excellent timber for domestic purposes, under the name 

 of " Surul" (straight), either from the tall, straight, branchless 

 stems of old trees, or from the woody fibre rending freely and 

 quite straight in the grain. In the Sanscrit dialect it is called 

 " Tanshing," or " Tansa" (Needle Tree), on account of its long, 

 needle-like leaves. 



Timber excellent, and full of turpentine ; but the trees are 

 too tender for an ordinary English winter ; some, however, are 

 hardier than others, which, no dOubt, arises from the locality 

 and elevation where the seeds were gathered — certainly not 

 from any specific distinction. 



No. 44. PiNUS Parryana, Gordon, Mr. Gambler Parry's Pine. 

 Leaves in threes, rather slender, narrow, and wavy, from 

 eight to nine inches long, rounded on the outer side, three- 

 edged, and keeled on the inner faces, very acute-pointed, 

 minutely serrated along the edges, and regularly tapering from 

 the base to the point ; sheaths rather short, scaly, and, when 

 old, very much wrinkled, jagged at the ends, and nearly black. 

 Branches rather long, horizontal, and mucli resembling those of 



