CHAP. CX1II. 



CONl'FERiE* Pl v NUS. 



2241 



2126 



lington, on Lake Champlain, in the state of Vermont. In these places, it grows 

 commonly in light, friable, and sandy soils, which it occupies almost exclusive- 

 ly ; not exceeding 1 2 ft. or 15 ft. in height ; and where its slender branches, laden 

 with puny cones, evince the feebleness of its vegetation. In Pennsylvania and 

 Virginia, the ridges of the Alleghanies are sometimes covered with it ; parti- 

 cularly the south mountains, on the ridge called Saddle Hill, where the 

 soil is rather richer, and where the tree attains the height of 35 ft. or 40 ft., 

 with a trunk 12 in. or 15 in. in diameter. In the lower parts of New Jersey, 

 Pennsylvania, and Maryland, it is frequently seen, in the large cedar swamps 

 (which are constantly miry, or covered with water), 70 ft. or 80 ft. high, with 

 a trunk from 20 in. to 28 in. in diameter, and exceeding the surrounding 

 trees both in bulk and elevation. It supports a long time the presence of 

 sea water, which, in spring tides, overflows the salt meadows, where it is 

 sometimes found, and where it is the only species of the pine tribe. Messrs. 

 Brown and M'Nab found the summits of the Alleghany Mountains entirely 

 covered by scraggy trees of this species, with dwarf scrub oak (Quercus 

 Bannisteri) as underwood. (Quart. Journ. of Agri., v. p. 604.) On dry 

 gravelly soil, Michaux observes, the wood of P. rigida is knotty ; and, in 

 humid situations, it is of so poor a quality, as to be unfit for works which 

 require strength or durability. This species seems to have formerly abounded 

 in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire; for, from the begin- 

 ning of the eighteenth century, till 1776, these states furnished Britain with a 

 considerable quantity of tar. About the year 1 705, a misunderstanding having 

 taken place between Great Britain and Sweden, from which latter country 

 the British government had principally drawn its supply of tar, Great Britain 

 encouraged this branch of industry in the northern part of America, by a 

 premium of 1/. sterling for every barrel of tar made from dead wood, and 21. 

 for every barrel made from green wood ; in consequence of which, and of this 

 tree furnishing tar abundantly, its destruction has been so rapid, that it is now 

 rarely found in the northern states. P. rigida was cultivated in England by 

 the Duke of Bedford, previously to 1759; and, as the cones are frequently 

 imported, it is not uncommon in collections of the genus. There are old 

 trees at Syon and Pain's Hill, from 40 ft. to 50 ft. high ; and one at Dropmore, 

 40 years planted, which, in 1837, was 31 ft. high. The specimen in the 

 arboretum at Hackney is 10 ft. 6 in. high ; and one in the Horticultural 

 Society's Garden, after being 6 }'ears planted, is 5 ft. high. 



Properties and Uses. In some parts of the Alleghanies, where this tree 

 abounds, houses are built of it ; and the wood, if it is not covered with paint, 

 is readily recognised by its numerous knots. It is thought better than the 



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