THE SPRUCE, ETC. 



287 



into the forest, and a work of destruction has be- 

 gun which before many years will occasion ever- 

 lasting regret among those whose interests are closely 

 connected with this part of the country. 



Black Spruce. The young black spruce is often 



Picea nigra. whitish purple - green or uniform 



deep olive -green (not bluish), with no effect of 



bloom. The needle is sharp, four-sided, slenderer 



than that of the red spruce, straight or curved, as 



Black Spruce. 



the case may be, and often grows close to the tan- 

 colored stem ; the older stems, half an inch or so in 

 diameter, are light brown gray. The cone, about an 

 inch and a quarter long, is a beautiful light tan color 

 when young, although in the beginning it is madder 

 purple. The old cone is apt to cling tenaciously to 

 the branchlet, and assumes a dull gray -brown hue; 



