The Dickinson press., 1890-02-22


year after blossoming, and this is dis
tinguishing feature between these true
pines and the other members of tho pine
family-the spruces, frs and larches.
The spruces have their leaves four sided,
and arranged around the stem, instead
of being in clusters, as in the pines. The
cones are very graceful, being suspended
near the end of the branches, and form.
ing a pleasing contrast to the green of
the foliage.
The Norway spruce, though native
of Europe, is SO common here as to de-
serve place among our New England
trees, and from the time of its bright
red blossoms in the spring, during the
growth of its cones, which are purple at
first, but change to rich brown, till
blossoms come again, forms most at
tractive sight. The hemlock, or hemlock
spruce, has small cones; tho leaves, in
stead of being arranged around the stems,
spread in two directions, and are a bright
green above, with silvery white be-
meath. This grows to be large tree,
but is often cut back and used as an or
namental shrub, and, cared for in this
way, is ono Of the most graceful of
spruces. The frs are distinguished from
the spruces in that they have their cones
erect on tho upper side of the branches,
instead of pendulous. The only repre-
sentative In New England is the balsam
fir, which is quite common among the
mountains.
The last member of the pine family is
the larch. The larch is distinguished
from all other conifcrs by its shedding
its leaves in the fall, and is also marked
by tho bright red flowers which it bears
in the early spring. The only native
larch is the American larch or tama-
rack, but the European larch is found
here quite extensively, and is q hand
somer and more graceful tree than the
native variety.
The cypress family includes the arbor
vitae, the cypress and the juniper. The
arbor vitae is readily distinguished by
the oppressed, scale like leaves, arranged
in four rows on the two-edged branch
lets. The American variety is often
called white cedar, but the name more
properly belongs to n variety of cypress
closely resembling arbor vitae, but hav-
ing more slender spray, finer leaves,
and growing thirty to seventy feet high,
while the arbor vitse ranges from twenty
to fifty feet.
We have two varieties of the juniper;
one known as the juniper, and the other
as red cedar. Both have berry like
fruit, in color black, covered with a
white bloom; the juniper has awl shaped
leaves, arranged in tlnrces, large fruit
and is found quite commonly as low
shrub. The red cedar has small, scale
like leaves, small fruit, and in the east is
found Us shrub, but in the west reaches
from 60 to 90 feet in height, and fur
nishes very durable wood of a reddish
color.
The yew has its nut like seed sur
rounded by disk, cup shaped around
its base, which becomes bright red and
berry like. In the United States it is
only found as struggling bush, but in
other countries grows to be large tree.
The conifers are the most useful trees
to man. They are found in a great vari.
ETY. of attitudes, are about ten times as
numerous as other trees, and reach a
greatheight. They furnish long, straight,
durable timber, which, owing to the res
inous matter, is impcnetrablo by water.
The juices give us turpentine, resin,
pitch, tar and lampblack, and the amber
of commerce also was formed from pine
resin. Some conifers have medicinal
properties; the bark of certain varieties
is used for tanning, for making paper
and for stuffing in upholstery. The in
ner bark of one variety and the seeds Of
another are articles of food. The coal
beds were formed from the conifers oi
the carboniferous age. They form q
most attractive feature in the Landscape,
whether found singly or in large num-
bers, and through the dreary winter
months arc reminders of the summer
which is past and prophecy of the
summer which is to come.-Annie NJ.
Mitchell in Springfield Homestead.