THE NOBLE SILVER FIK. 33 



floors; for butter barrels, kegs, and boxes it is superior, as no 

 taste or odor is communicated to the contents, besides staves 

 for laths and the like; but for laths, Douglas and Merten's 

 spruces are preferred. 



Where so much confusion has hitherto existed as to species, 

 one must expect somewhat particular details — perhaps una- 

 voidably prozy — had not the quality, also, been so egregiously 

 decried, like other timbers of the Pacific, a word of commen- 

 dation might have been sufficient for passing estimation and 

 briefer notes, that only seize some strong points of obvious 

 and ready recognition. 



Cones erect or perched upright upon the top branches, 

 three to five inches long and one and one half inches or so 

 in diameter, usually obtuse, clothed in a very close soft yel- 

 lowish-green or velvety scum-greenish mantle of exceedingly 

 short villi scales; separately examined, edgewise or side- 

 viewed, the claw is bent at an obtuse angle so that the cone, 

 when broken, the base portion presents a deep cup-like cav- 

 ity or fracture ; these scales very broad in proportion, append- 

 ages or bracts beneath short, slightly wedge-like, rounded, 

 blunt, or sometimes notched at the end, a sharp point from 

 the center, wing of the seed broad American ax-shaped, or 

 often as w T ide as long, if not wider, and so on. The most ob- 

 vious marks are the ashy-gray body below in age, and always 

 the white color of the body and branchlets above ; the foliage 

 pale blooming or of light gray-green tint. 



THE NOBLE SILVER FIR. 



(Abies [Pieea] nobilis.) 

 AND ITS MAGNIFICENT VARIETY: A. MAGNIFICA. 



" When the bright sunset fills 

 The silver woods with light." — Longfellow. 



AMONG the most stately trees of the world stands the 

 Noble Silver Fir of the far west — one of the truest 

 types of nature's noblemen — towered and terraced to 

 the skies, aloft on the high mountains from six to eight 

 thousand feet altitude, or more; attaining from two to three 

 hundred feet in hight and five to ten feet in diameter ; bark of 

 the grand trunk dark cinnamon-red or burnt carmine color. 



"Abroad their fan-like branches grew, 

 And, where the sunshine darted through, 

 Spread a vapor soft and blue, 

 In long and sloping lines." 



5 



