CONTORTED TAMARACK 1'INK. 66 



CONTORTED TAMARACK PINE. 



(Pinus [inops] contorta and var. Murrayana.) 



•• A slumbrous sound, a sound that brings 

 The feelings of a dream." — Longfellow. 



THIS pine abounds in moist inter-vales and limited 

 plains along the whole range of the California Sierras, 

 around north of Sacramento Valley, down to the coast 

 within spray of the Pacific ocean; also, through Oregon, and 

 so on to Alaska, Rocky Mountains, and Utah. It always 

 •forms the first forests of the primeval lake, multiplies around 

 the low, ever-increasing ureadow margins, and along the 

 banks of upper alpine creeks; often covers, more or less, the 

 seeping sides or moister slopes of mountain ranges up to 

 about six thousand to ten thousand feet altitude. From a 

 tree of moderate, or even small size, on the coast — say a few 

 three to five, to thirty, forty, or sixty feet — it rises on the high 

 Sierras to one hundred and one hundred and fifty feet high, 

 rarely two hundred, three to five feet in diameter in some 

 rare instances; top of all forms, but the type conic, branches 

 slender and rather short, giving the larger forms a towering 

 aspect with long, clean, trim trunks of clear timber, three to 

 half a dozen saw-log lengths, or for one third to two thirds 

 their height; bark exceedingly thin and turpentiny, especi- 

 ally where abraded, to which, more than other pines, it is 

 subject; thus it is very apt to be fired on all occasions, and 

 destroyed in great numbers. This bark has the peculiarly 

 rippling appearance, as it were, a perfect transcript of the 

 mirrored lake when the morning zephyr is just astir over 

 the placid waters beside which it grows. A tree of rapid 

 increase in little else than granitic debris of the Sierras, but 

 from the lack of tenacity in the soil, from shallowness, and 

 its varying states, treacherous surroundings of snow-slides, 

 winds above, floods below, and frequent land-slides as well, 

 changing the depth of water levels, and periodical fires, etc. — 

 all conspire to prostrate or to kill them standing. 



" How hushed and restful lies the land ! 



The moou-beams light the pine trees round; 

 Verging to friendly death they stand 



And point with branches to the ground.'* 



—After Cornhill Mag. 



These dead trees, throughout, and those dead limbs on 

 living trees also, are wont to curve downwards and are 

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