I. 1. THE PITCH PINE. 69 
two to three inches long, and each scale terminated in a short, 
acute, stiff spine. Michaux observed that, on solitary stocks 
exposed to the winds, the cones are constantly found in groups 
of four, five or more, and that they then remain closed for sev- 
eral years. 
The pitch pine is found from the Penobscot River in Maine 
to the mountains of Carolina. On its northern borders it at- 
tains a height of only twelve or fifteen feet; on its southern, it is 
a large tree. The wood of the pitch pine 1s hard and firm, and 
remarkable, except in the variety above-mentioned, for the 
quantity of resin it contains. This is much more abundant in 
the branches than in the trunk, whence the boards and other 
lumber of this wood are usually full of pitch knots) When a 
tree stands some time after its vigorous growth has ceased, the 
whole heart-wood, and even the whole wood, is filled with resin, 
and converted into what is called pitch wood. This is so incor- 
ruptible, that it is often dug up entire in old pine woods, where 
it has been exposed for scores of years to alternations of moisture 
and dryness. ‘The proportion of sap-wood to heart-wood varies 
in different situations. Ina tree of fifty years’ growth, the ex- 
terior twenty-five circles may be sometimes found of sap-wood. 
The pitch pine is of far more value than 1t has usually been 
considered. The variety called yellow pine* is an excellent 
substitute for white pine for any purpose to which the latter 
may be applied. In Plymouth County, vessels have been made, 
in many instances, for a considerable time past, almost en- 
tirely of pitch pine. For the upper floor, for the lower deck, 
and for the beams, the best oak only is superior. Its principal 
defect, as a material for ship-building, is the comparatively 
insecure hold it gives to spikes; making it necessary to substi- 
tute, at certain points, pieces of oak timber. It is an excellent 
material for floors, not yielding to the Southern pine in dura- 
bility and surpassing it in beauty. For water-wheels, it is 
preferred on account of its durability when exposed to alterna- 
* This name is also applied to the Southern yellow pine, Pinus australis, and some- 
times to the Norway or red pine, Pinus resinosa, with which there 1s no danger that 
any variety of pitch pine should be confounded by a botanist. 
