40 
NAT. ORDER. CONIFERS. 
The Pinus halsamea is a native of the coldest regions of this 
continent, growing abundantly in Canada, Nova Scotia, northern 
parts of New England, and other northern provinces. It has 
been introduced and cultivated in some parts of England, since 
the year 1698, but the climate does not appear to be congenial to 
it, for although it attains a considerable height, it seldom survives 
above twenty years. 
The fine turpentine of the shops, or what is commonly called 
Canada balsam, is yielded by this tree. It exists in great quantity, 
in the vesicles between the wood and bark; being collected by 
makinof incisions in the trunk of the tree, through which it exudes. 
It is then put in casks of from one to two hundred pounds, and 
shij^ped to most parts of the civilized globe. 
Sensible and Chemical Properties, d^c. Canada balsam, or tur- 
pentine, has a strong, but rather agreeable odor ; its taste is some- 
what bitter, and resembles the other turpentines ; its color is pale 
yellow, with a greenish tinge, transparent, and has the consistence 
of honey fresh from the comb. 
Distilled with water, it yields a limpid, colorless, essential oil, 
and leaves a solid resin, resembling the common yellow resin. 
Distilled by itself, it yields, first, a clear oil, in appearance like 
that obtained by distillation with water, but which gradually 
changes to yellow, and then to red, and leaves a black resin. 
During the operation of distillation, succinic acid also rises. It is 
insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol and ether, also in the vol- 
atile and drying oils ; it is soluble in alkaline ley, and the strong 
acids ; the sulphuric and nitric acids convert it into artificial tan- 
nin. The essential oil, or spirit of turpentine, as it is commonly 
called, has a strong penetrating odor, and a hot, pungent, bitterish 
taste. It is perfectly limpid and colorless, light, volatile, inflamma- 
ble, and burns with a very vivid, crackling flame. It is soluble in 
six parts of sulphuric ether, very sparingly soluble in cold alcohol, 
one hundred parts unite with twenty of alcohol ; if the alcohol be 
