100 



lows " a few years since was amusing. At the time 

 the broken branches were selling in Boston and Salem 

 at fifty and even seventy-five cents by the pound, good 

 sized trees of the same species could be purchased for 

 teu cents, almost anywhere north of Concord, N. H., 

 or Portland, Me. 



The hemlock spruce, or hemlock as it is generally 

 called (Tsuga canadensis), is our most beautiful cone 

 bearing tree and fortunately still abundant in natural 

 groves. It is a tree which every one knows at sight, 

 for it is perfectly distinct in appearance, even in the 

 distance, from any other tree we have here. The roads 

 through the woods from Pride's Crossing and Montserat 

 are often bordered by hemlocks, in some places grow- 

 ing so thickly as to darken the way even on sunny 

 days. In the city, iu several places, this tree has been 

 used for hedges, and there are, besides, single trees at 

 Mr. Dugan's on Dearborn street, at the rear of the 

 Sanders estate on Sewall street, and at "Paradise" on 

 Mason street, but none are large. Spruces may readily 

 be distinguished from firs. The spruces shed their 

 leaves when dried while the scales of their cones adhere 

 together. Firsfetain their leaves when dried while the 

 scales of their cones fall off. 



The spruces, balsam fir and hemlock, all ripen their 

 fruit from the flowers in one season. Even the Norway 

 spruce requires but one summer to perfect its very 

 large cones ; four times the size of those of the red 

 pine, which require two years to come to maturity. 



August twenty-fifth. 



