P. BALFOURIANA AND ARISTATA 29 
BALFOURIANA GROUP OF FOX-TAIL PINES 
Here we have another little group, merged in a 
class of their own, and answering to the almost 
appropriate name of Fox-tail. We say almost ap- 
propriate, for Fox-tail is a word that falls rather 
strangely upon English ears, where all, from the 
luckier who has the good fortune to bestride a horse, 
to the lowlier pedestrian and excited workman— 
who invariably deserts his daily work if the hounds 
come by, and is as invariably forgiven by his task- 
master for so doing—are at least of one mind upon 
one unvexed question. All, one and all, votaries or 
even non-votaries of the chase indulge in but one 
colloquial name for this hirsute appendage of the 
animal in question. With one harmonious accord 
they call it “ brush.” 
We note that some nurserymen, in deference to 
custom and accepted medium of expression, actually 
describe and advertise the tree as Fox-brush Pine. 
In so doing they cling. to a name that tells its tale 
well and truly. The resemblance of its closely 
clustered leaves to the article whence it derives its 
name helps in, if it does not quite render unmistak- 
able, the identification of these trees. 
The two of them, the P. Balfouriana and P. Aristata, 
were once content to dwell together in unity of name 
and species. Now this harmony has been broken 
by some of the fixed stars of our arboricultural 
firmament. The P. Aristata occupies a position of 
the mountain, or Alpine, variety of the P. Balfouriana. 
Their difference seems to be that the mountain 
variety shows (1) more distinct pubescence on its 
branchlets, as is the way of mountain varieties ; (2) 
the incurved prickle of the cone is a good deal longer 
than that upon the P. Balfouriana, and measures 
