THE CONIFEROUS FORESTS 
While the regions that have just 
been mentioned exhibit the health and 
vigor of coniferous forests under favor- 
able natural conditions, there are cer- 
tain portions of the Rocky Mountains 
where the climate is too dry and the 
topography and soil are too austere 
and rocky to suit even that hardy class 
of trees. So here, under circumstances 
that may almost be pronounced abnor- 
mal for forest growth, the evergreens 
fight a harder battle, while the broad- 
leaf trees, with the exception of the 
poplar tribe, are scarce indeed. We 
must, therefore, turn to the more typi- 
cal coniferous forests that have en- 
joyed at least a fair share of nature’s 
gifts — whether it be within the range 
of the Rocky Mountains or elsewhere 
—to understand those peculiar quali- 
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