Tree Study 



797 



it is only at its best on the Pacific Coast, where it is one of the most magni- 

 ficent of trees. 



The Norway spruce tree is in form a beautiful cone, slanting from its 

 slender tip to the ground, on which its lower drooping branches rest; the 

 upper branches come off at a narrower angle from the sturdy central stem 

 than do the widespreading lower branches. On the older trees, the twigs 

 hang like pendulous fringes from the branches, enabling them to shed the 

 snow more readily — a peculiarity which is of much use to the tree, because 

 it is a native of the snowy northern countries of Europe and also grows 

 successfully in the high altitudes of the Alps and other mountains. If we 

 stroke a spruce branch toward the tip, the hand slides smoothly over it ; but 

 brusn backward from the tip, and the hand is pricked by hundreds of the 

 sharp, bayonet-pointed leaves; this is another arrangement for letting the 

 snow slide off. 



If we examine a twig of the present year's growth, we can see on every 

 side of its brown stem the pointed leaves, each growing from a short ridge; 

 but the leaves on the lower side stretch out sidewise to get the light, and 

 those above lift up angularly. Perhaps the twig of last year's growth has 

 shed its leaves which grew on the under side and thus failed to reach the 

 sun. The leaf of the spruce is curved, stiff, four-sided and ends in a sharp 

 point. It is dark yellowish above and hghter beneath and is set stiffly on 

 the twig. The winter buds for next year's growth may be 

 seen at the tips of the twigs, covered with little, recurved, 

 brown scales quite flowerlike in form. In the balsam fir, 

 which is often planted with the Norway spruce, these buds 

 are varnished. 



The cones are borne on the tips of the branches and 

 hang down. In color they are pale, wood-brown; they 

 are from four to six inches long, and are very conspicuous. 

 They are made up of broad scales that are thin toward the 

 notched tips; they are set around the central stem in 

 spirals of five rows. If we follow one spiral around mark- 

 ing it with a winding string, it will prove to be the fifth 

 row above the place where we started. These manifold 

 spirals can be seen sometimes by looking into the tip end 

 of a cone. The cone has much resin on it, and is a very 

 safe box for seeds; but when it begins to open, squirrels 

 impatiently tear it to pieces, harvesting the seeds and 

 leaving a pile of cone-scales beneath the tree to tell of their 

 piracy. 



A Norway spruce in blossom is a beautiful sight; the 

 little, wine-red pistillate cones are lifted upwards from the . 

 tips of the twigs, while short, terminal branches are laden ^"'^^ "f fi"^- 

 with the pollen-bearing catkins, which are soft and cater- "cro^by.''™^ 



pillarish, growing on soft, white stems from the base of 

 scales which enclosed and protected them during the winter ; these catkins 

 are filled with the yellow dust. The young cones continue to stand 

 upright after the scales have closed on the pollen which has been sifted 

 by the wind to the ovules which they guard; and for some time they 

 remain most ornamentally purplish red. Before the cone is heavy enough 

 to bend from its own weight, it turns deliberately around and downward, 

 as if the act were a wilful deed, and then changes its color to green, ripening 

 into brown in the fall. 



A cone of Nor- 

 way spruce, show- 

 ng that the spiral 

 of the scales is in 



