XIV. 



THE PINES, SPRUCES, FIR AND HEMLOCK. 



All of the trees so far considered in these sketches are, 

 in the botanical classification, found among the exogens. 

 They have broad leaves with netted veins, and true 

 flowers from which seeds are produced. The gymno- 

 sperms, however, although the manner of the growth 

 of their wood is the same, do not bear flowers which can 

 be termed perfect. Their flowers have a relationship 

 to the so-called fructification of the ferns and club- 

 mosses, and their leaves in most instances, at least, 

 are needle-shaped and remain upon the tree through 

 more than one season. Another striking feature of 

 the class is, unless sufiiering from some injury, the 

 trees have a leading shoot ever growing upward, and 

 even if cut ofi", this shoot will often be replaced by the 

 up-turning of a side shoot. The efiect of this habit is 

 to produce trees which grow in the form of a spire in 

 their natural state. The fruit of the gymnosperms is 

 usually a cone, and hence the name conifers, which is 

 often given to this class of plants. But some of the 

 plants in this class bear berries, and some nut-like 

 fruits ; yet even these seemingly different forms have a 

 botanical relationship with the cones of the pines and 

 spruces. The name evergreen is often applied to the 

 coniferous trees, but it is unsuitable ; for larches, the 

 bald cypress and the ginkgo tree shed their leaves 

 in the autumn, and we have besides, common plants, 



