THE PIXE 133 



formerly covered great areas in Canada and the northern 

 United States. They have been largely destroyed because 

 of the demand for white pine timber, and the tree is now 

 being planted on a large scale b>- the national and state 

 governments. About the beginning of the eighteenth cen- 

 tury, the white pine was introduced into Europe, where it is 

 called the '' Weymouth pine." It is frequently seen in 

 European parks, and is planted to some extent in forests. 



Another common American species is the red pine, also 

 called the " Norway pine " (Pinits resinosa). This is an 

 important timber tree, though its wood is less valuable than 

 that of the white pine. Pinus lambertiana, the " sugar 

 pine " of the Pacific coast states, is the largest American 

 tree next to the California redwoods. Its resin is sweet- 

 tasting and edible. The Scotch pine, also called " Scotch 

 fir," " Xorn-ay fir," and " Dantzic fir," is the commonest 

 species in Europe, where it is a most important timber tree. 

 It is a common ornamental tree in the United States, as is 

 also the Austrian pine. Some pines have large, nut-Uke seeds 

 whose inner parts (endosperm and embrs^o) are eaten. One 

 of these nut-pines is found in northern CaUfomia ; the nuts 

 of another, Hving in the Mediterranean countries, are largely 

 used in Europe. 



Aside from its wood, the most valuable product of the 

 pine is its resin. By distillation, turpentine is obtained 

 from the resin, and from the more solid substances that are 

 left after distillation rosin is made. Tar is obtained by the 

 dry distillation of the wood, and pitch by boiling down the 

 tar. jMost of the turpentine produced in the United States 

 comes from the long-leaved yellow pine and the Cuban (or 

 slash) pine of the southern states. 



159. Other Conifers. — The pine is a member of the 

 largest order of gymnosperms, called conifers because the 

 seeds of most of them are borne on cones. The seed-bearing 

 structures of some members of the order, such as the red cedar 



