The Portland daily press., 1881-01-25
Peculiarities of the Pine

The pines or rather the cone-bearing fam
ily of trees 1.-THE conifere) are. very distinct
from other vegetation in great many OF
their ways and habits, as well as in structure.
While they resist more then deciduous trees
in some particulars, they will succumb TO
other conditions which the broad-folaged
sorts endure. They will not sprout again
when cut down, having no latent buds on
collar, stem or roots, which can serve as
reserve resource. Nor will they abide any
cutting, or even mere external drying OF the
roots: all that are so cut perish, and only the
smaller or shorter roots which remain entire
to their ends can continue to absorb and
supply watery sap, and receive accretion OF
growth from the sap sent down from the
leaves.
The deciduous larch shows these peculiari-
ties as well as The evergreens. But while so
tender in these particulars, the conifers will
endure external rubs and strains that are
fatal to other trees. We often see whole
stretches of pine among which there were
once growing oaks, hickories, and all that
tribe. These have been exterminated by
fires which have scorched but not killed the
pines, and left them completely dominant
masters of the situation. So the old pines
that have been cut and rubbed until they
shed tears of turpentine from every one OF a
dozen great scare, still continue healthy
growth, though pitiable objects to the sight
A very remarkable case of the endurance
of a scotch pine, when wounded as one would
think, to death, is to be seen on the grounds
of the Hon. F e.ding Beeler, of Indianapolis
Ind. The tree was girded by the destruction
of all the bark from fifteen inches of its
trunk, when measuring twelve inches in Cir
cumference. The n ischief was done by
"sapsuckers." The branches and stem above
the injury have continued to grow and thrive,
l,,t hola fhay haua arcQlC growth
and only two branches out of six or eight
have been left below the girdle. The tree
has maintained its bright green, and has
made as much more laterally, though not in
height, as other trees around it. The secret
Of this extraordinary power of endurance and
recuperation is no doupt that all the external
pores of the wood were filed with varnish
of resin soon after the wound was made; the
date at which it was made was favorable to
the quick formation of this sealing up, and
prevention of all wastefnl flow, probably a.
bout August. This varnish only fufills one
service of the bark, however, that of supply
ing a waterproof epiderm, preventing dessi-
cation. 1t cannot aid in the digestion of sap,
nor can it well convey what has been digested
above, to be distributed to the stem and roots
below. As the stem has enlarged below the
girdle to some extent, hut the branches be-
low the girde have dwindled, the case seems
10 cOrr0Dorate tne VIEWS VI IHoSe VINO DelleVe
that the ascending crude sap mingles into it.
self as it ascends some of the rich prepared
sap which flows downward, and thus be
comes the richer the higher it ascend. The
girdle is now about twelve inches long, lip
of new growth having covered about three
inches of its upper portion, and the OILY
visible exudation of resin is a little from the
edge of this lip. By the study of such cases
we learn lessons like those which the hole
In Alexis St. Martins stomach supplied to
human ysiologist.-TriDnne.