inch in length and rather less than one-twelfth inch in width: 

 they arc dark green on the upper side, but quite pale green or 

 whitish on the lower surface: they spread like the barbs of a 



feather in one plane: the new ones appear on the twigs in the 

 spring and are then bright green, the tips of the twigs nodding; 

 they persisl on the twigs through parts of three seasons, falling 

 awaj in the spring; like other "evergreen" trees, the hemlock 

 spruce is evergreen because it is never hare of leaves, not the same 

 leaves, however. The flowers, as in all conebearing trees, are 

 small, of two kinds, and borne in small, dense clusters, appearing 

 in April or May; the clusters of staminate flowers, those contain- 

 ing the pollen "rains, are found in the axils of the leaves, the 

 clusters of pistillate flowers are at the ends of the twigs, and after 

 their fertilization by the pollen from the staminate flowers, ripen 

 into the cones; these are oblong, nodding, blunt, a little longer 

 than the leaves, composed of numerous thin appressed scales, and 

 under each scale is another scale which carries the small seeds. 



As observed by MacDougal (see Journal, New York Botanical 

 Garden i: 97) germination of the seeds takes place about the 

 middle of Maw 'lite little root is provided with a very large 

 root-cap which protects its delicate tissues at the tip as it grows 

 down through the soil: this little root is at first bent, but soon 

 straightens out. carrying the seed, which still contains the minute 

 seed-leaves, up a little in the soil ; the coat of the seed is soon cast 

 away and the usually four seed-leaves expand just at the surface 

 of the ground; the plantlet is then seen to consist of a root, seed- 

 leaves, and a little bud immediately above the seed-leaves which 

 at once begins growing and forms the stem, which, if nothing 

 happens to the little plant, develops ultimately into the part of 

 the tree above "round. The trees of the P>ronx hemlock forest 

 produce seed very unequally in different years, being apparently 

 entirely barren at times, thus Dr. MacDougal records that no 

 seedlings from seeds produced in [898 were found, only two 

 could be certainly traceable to the crop of ioijj. but an enormous 

 number were produced from the seeds of 1899. As the plantlet 

 grows, close observations of it- mot will reveal curious clublike 

 thickenings, and these are indispensable to the tree. Microscopic 

 examination shows that they are composed of the densely matted 

 threads of a minute fungus forming a sort of felt on the outside 

 of these little projections. The function of these curious struc- 

 tures, which are known as mycorrhiza, is to absorb food from the 

 soil, and carry it into the rootlets, from which the tree distributes 

 it throughout its stem and leaves. Through this very interesting 



