XLII 
EVERGREENS ARE BUILT FOR FIGHTING 
STORMS 
I SN’T IT ODD that a certain family of trees, the pine 
and its relatives, have figured out a dozen schemes for 
defying wind and snow and have built themselves from 
stem to stern for that very purpose! 
Take, for example, the spruces, firs, cedars, cypresses, 
and junipers. Their leaves are needle-like or scale-like 
in form. They are polished as smooth as glass. No 
blustering wind can get hold of them. A tree full of them 
would be vastly safer in a storm than the same bulk of 
maple leaves. 
Most of the trees of the pine family are evergreens. 
They hold their leaves throughout the winter. In spite 
of the apparent handicap of winter foliage, the members 
of this family are likely to grow in the land of heavy 
snows and winter storms. 
If they had broad, flat leaves, the snow would pile upon 
them until they were broken down. But they present 
needles to these snows which sometimes fall to a depth 
of six feet. The flakes of snow slip off these needles, sift 
through them, and go on to the ground instead of weigh¬ 
ing down the branches of the trees. 
The very structure of the spruces and firs is a defiance 
to snow and wind. They send up a strong central column. 
It is likely to go straight as a lance to a great height. The 
limbs that adorn it are short and rugged. They do not 
84 
