(4i) 



best for ornamental purposes. It was discovered in i860 on 

 the famous Japanese mountain, Fuji-yama, by Mr. Veitch, for 

 whom it is named. The red fir, from Washington and Ore- 

 gon, with its blue leaves, borne almost erect and apparently 

 on but one side of the branchlets, makes a conspicuous 

 object. In its native country it sometimes attains a height of 

 250 feet. Its wood is sometimes used in the interior finishing 

 of buildings. Among other firs here are : the white fir, from 

 western North America, sometimes growing to a height of 

 200 to 250 feet ; the Siberian fir, from northern Europe and 

 Asia, yielding a soft lumber in general use and a bark used 

 in tanning leather; the common silver fir, from Europe; 

 Nordmann's silver fir, from the Caucasus ; the Sicilian silver 

 fir, from Asia Minor ; and the Nikko silver fir, from Japan. 

 The spruces [Piced) are located in the area to the northeast 

 of the firs. Some of the spruces are most valuable timber 

 trees. The oriental spruce, from Asia Minor, is present in 

 several specimens. One of the hardiest spruces for our cli- 

 mate, and a general favorite, is the Colorado, or blue, spruce, 

 the young foliage of which has a decided blue color, whence 

 its name. It usually grows about 100 feet tall in its native 

 country. The Norway spruce, with a number of horticul- 

 tural forms, makes a group on the highest portion of the area 

 devoted to the spruces and is a commonly cultivated tree. 

 It furnishes a useful timber, which is known as " white deal " 

 in England, and is largely used in the manufacture of musical 

 instruments. The resinous exudation of this tree is known 

 as Burgundy pitch, which, in combination with other ingredi- 

 ents, is used in Germany to line beer casks. Other spruces 

 of interest here are the Yesso spruce, the wood of which is 

 much used in Japan ; the white, or Engelmann's, spruce, from 

 western North America, the wood of which is largely manu- 

 factured into lumber and the bark sometimes used in tanning ; 

 the Servian spruce, one of the largest and most valuable 

 timber trees of Europe ; and the tiger's-tail spruce, from 

 Japan, introduced about forty years ago, and one of the 

 hardiest Asiatic species in cultivation. 



