THE GRAND SILVER FIR. 29 



eight feet through. The distance to the first branches, thence 



towering to the at length conic or flat top, seems much greater 

 than it actually is, since they scarcely approximate what we 

 arc accustomed to consider colossal, but rather the columnar 

 type. These lofty columnar and towering traits of Pacific 

 trees are more characteristic of these far western forests than 

 of the same species under culture. This fir is sometimes of 

 singularly slow growth, in its early state, as are also some of 

 the spruces, and again other trees increase rapidly from the 

 very first start up to maturity, which, for the coast here, is 

 between one and two hundred years — after one hundred and 

 fifty to one hundred and seventy-five years the growth is 

 barely nominal. As an example of the former early, nearly 

 tacit statu quo state, say for forty years, the rate of increase 

 may not be even one quarter of an inch in ten years for the 

 whole period or more, if much stinted in the start. Of the 

 latter the rate is exactly reversed, the rate of increase then 

 being one and one half to three inches in every ten years for 

 the first forty years, and the exceedingly fine decadent annual 

 rings, instead of being at the heart as before, are seen next 

 to the bark. This rate is to be esteemed as very variable, 

 for some of these firs, at their most southern limit on the 

 coast, will even occasionally make one inch thick of annual 

 ring-growth. In thus laying down these extremes of illus- 

 trative variation, we are cautioned lest we generalize on too 

 scanty data or too limited observation; nevertheless, we feel 

 warranted in saying that, as a general rule, firs are of rapid 

 growth — and allowing that they may live a few hundred 

 years — yet they are what we should designate as short-lived 

 trees. 



The branches of the Grand Silver Fir of the coast here 

 never pend, but maintain a perfectly horizontal position, 

 in age the top becoming reluctantly squared or flat topped. 

 The bark grayish brown, rather thin, two inches or so for 

 trees three to six feet through, brittle, and not much rough- 

 ened ; the silvered foliage deepening to dark green towards 

 the top, and at the crown quite dark hued. The leaves, as 

 Dr. Englemann observes, are glossy green above and without 

 stomatse ; two well marked white bands below, each consist- 

 ing of seven to ten rows under a strong glass, one to two 

 inches long, more markedly distichous (two rowed, one on 

 this side and the other on that, or opposite sides of the twigs), 

 at least in the sterile branchlets, than most other silver firs; 

 strongly grooved and the end notched, leaves on the fertile 

 branchlets similar but rather shorter, and occasionally 

 rounded at the tip ; leaf-scars rounded or circular, not ele- 

 vated. The cones, as usual in firs, on the topmost boughs of 

 the tree, set upright, like birds upon the branches ; cylin- 

 droid, three to four and one half inches long (seldom longer), 



