THE EVERGREENS 113 
A pine forest with its fresh balsam air and needle-covered 
floor is a sight to be long remembered. 
The wood of the evergreens is usually classed among 
the soft timbers, although the yellow pine is far from soft. 
59. White Pine. The king among evergreens is usu- 
ally admitted to be the white pine. Its soft, bluish-green 
foliage, the widespreading branches, and 
the value of its fine, even-grained wood 
give it the first rank. 
Pines have needle-shaped leaves 
which grow in groups of two, 
three, or five. White pine nee- 
dles grow in groups of five and 
are from three to four inches 
long. The cones which contain 
the seeds are about five inches 
long. The tree grows tall and 
straight, and formerly grew in K 
great forests covermg thousands Fis. 123. Needles and Cone 
of square miles; the wood is so ieegee 
free from pitch and is so easily worked with tools that 
these great forests have been almost annihilated by the 
lumberman’s ax, and white-pine timber has become quite 
expensive. It takes many years for a tree to grow large 
enough for timber, and unless we are more economical in 
the future white pine will be only a memory. 
