xn 



ETEBQBEESrS 



"If Mother Nature patches the leaves of the trees and 

 vines, 

 I'm sure she does her darning with the needles of 



the pines : 

 They are so long and slender, and somewhere in full 



view. 

 She has her threads of cobweb and her thimble made 

 of dew." 



— Selected. 



The evergreen, or cone-bearing trees, are the 

 oldest trees known to man. And no tree has 

 been more widely used by him. Considering 

 how ruthlessly he has destroyed it at all times, 

 and that the seeds are slow to ripen, slow to be 

 distributed, and slow to grow, the trees are 

 doomed, and the time is sure to come when there 

 will no longer be great forests of evergreens. 



The family group contains a host of noble 

 trees, noted everywhere for their strength, dig- 

 nity, and lofty bearing. Among them are the 

 pines, firs, cedars, spruces, larches, hemlocks, 



204 



