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Pinus sylvestris, the Scotch or Scots Pine 



The Scotch Pine, like the Austrian, has shown remarkable 

 adaptability to American conditions. It is one of the most depend- 

 able of foreign trees and is very valuable for ornamental purposes. 

 On dry sandy soils and in exposed situations it thrives unusually 

 well ; the Austrian Pine, however, is more resistant under severe 

 exposure. The Scotch Pine, furthermore, is one of the most 

 rapid-growing conifers, at least during youth. This feature, to- 

 gether with its hardiness, makes it especially useful for forming 

 screens and as a shelter tree for more tender stock. It seems 

 singularly capable of thriving in regions of hot summers and cold 

 winters. Old trees are especially picturesque, for their frequent 

 odd shapes and colored bark are very effective. 



The Scotch Pine is a native of Europe, where its range covers 

 most of the continent, extending from southern Spain and northern 

 Italy to latitude 70 degrees on the west coast of Norway ; thence 

 east through Lapland and Siberia along the Arctic Circle to the 

 Amur and thence through Asia Minor to Persia. It is the most 

 widely distributed of the pines. In Europe it is absent only from 

 the southern portion of the Balkan peninsula. In elevation it 

 ranges from 700 feet in northern Norway to 6,500 on the Sierra 

 Nevada of southern Spain. In the forests of Europe the Scotch 

 Pine may attain to a height of 120 feet. It grows there in dense 

 stands of beautifully tall and straight slender trees, which may 

 attain an age of three and four hundred years. As seen in this 

 country, it generally assumes a rounded shape and frequently 

 distorted growth because of lateral freedom. 



In Europe the Scotch Pine has figured very prominently in the 

 practice of forestry, for it is one of the major forest trees on the 

 continent. The uses of its lumber are almost limitless. At one 

 time, at least, tar, pitch, and turpentine were made from its resin- 

 ous juices. These and other products are obtained by destructive 

 and steam distillation of the wood. In Lapland and northern 

 Russia the bark has been used for covering huts and many other 

 purposes. Stump oil and resin are secured from the roots. The 

 fibre of the leaves has been manufactured into stuffing material 



