CONIFEE^^ OR CONE-BEARING TREES. 



2?3 



bly thrive further South. The general form of Sabine's Pine, 

 when young, is shown in figure 58, taken from a cultivated spe- 

 cies at the time the new growth is pushing out in spring. 



P. Strobns, Linnaeus. — White Pine, Weymoutli Pine. — Leaves 

 five in a sheath, as shown in figure 59, and from three to four 

 inches long, slender, soft, and slightly whitish on the under side. 

 Cones from four to six inches long, cylindrical, somewhat bent 

 to one side, slightly drooping on rather short stalks, with 

 smooth, thin scales, unarmed. Seed small, 

 with a long wing. A well known and valu- 

 able tree, growing from one hundred to a 

 hundred and fifty feet high, with stem some- 

 times four feet in diameter. Wood white, 

 soft, and free from knots, and the most ex- 

 tensively used of ?,ny lumber in America. 

 But the extensive forests of White Pine, 

 which were to be found in our Northern 

 States a half century ago, are rapidly disap- 

 pearing, and first-class pine lumber is al- 

 ready both scarce and dear. There ai'e still 

 several large forests of the tree both in the 

 United States and the Canadas, but they will 

 not last long at the rate at which they are 

 being cut off at the present time. The White 

 Pine will grow rapidly on light, poor, sandy 

 soils, and there are millions of acres of such 

 lands, that could not be put to a better use 

 than planting it with White Pine. It is not 

 only a useful and handsome forest tree, but 

 very valuable for ornamental purposes. There 

 are several handsome ornamental varieties in 

 cultivation, the most distinct is the var. alba Fis^. 59. 



or nivea, with silvery-white foliage, and var. white pine. 

 nana, a dwarfish, compact little bush, with a broad, flattishhead, 



P. Taeda, Linn. — Loblolly Pine, Old Field Pine, Frankincense 

 Pine. — Leaves in threes, eight to ten inches long, from rather 

 long sheaths, slender, and of a light green color. Cones three 

 to four inches long, oblong-conical, the scales armed with a 

 short, rigid, straight spine. The cones are usually solitary, but 

 sometimes in pairs. A tree fifty to one hundred feet high, but 

 in some favorable situations even larger, with stem two to three 

 feet in diameter. Wood variable, but usually rather coarse- 



