THE FOREST 17 
of one looking at It. For we know its family to be the 
sole arboreal survivor in this country of the myriads 
of strange forms that covered the earth in past 
geological ages — long before there were any broad- 
leaved trees in existence. However that may be, the 
ancient form of the pine gives a characteristic aspect 
to the scenery of the Carolina mountains, as well as 
characteristic fragrance to the woods, and a charac- 
teristic note in the music of the forest as the wind 
sweeps over it. 
The noblest tree among them, the tall Pinus 
echinata, inTraumfest known as the "armored pine," 
from the large plate-like scales of its bark, stands 
head and shoulders above the rest of the forest, its 
picturesque crown of twisted limbs overtopping the 
other trees along the crest of the ridges. 
Quite different in appearance is the Pinus Virgin- 
iana, whose spreading crown is close-dotted with 
little dark cones that cling fast for several years, 
until the tree finally looks like a Japanese decora- 
tion. This charming tree appears more mundane 
than the towering armored pine, whose spirit seems 
to be engrossed with matters of the sky. One could 
imagine the Pinus Virginiana laughing, but never 
the armored pine. It is the Pinus Virginiana that 
gives that delicious fragrance to roads banked with 
its young trees, a fragrance like that of a freshly 
opened tangerine orange. Besides these two, there 
are three or four other species of pine that blend 
their plumes with each other and with the foliage of 
the hardwood trees, and which fill the air with incense. 
