33 SEVENTH EVENING. ON THE PINE AND FIR TRIBE. A Dialogue. Tut. Let us sit down awhile on this bench, and look about us. What a charming prospect! What Har. I admire those pleasure-grounds. beautiful clumps of trees there are in that lawn! Geo. But what a dark, gloomy wood that is at the back of the house! Tut. It is a fir plantation; and those trees always look dismal in the summer, when there are so many finer greens to compare them with. But the winter is their time for show, when other trees are stripped of their verdure. Geo. Then they are evergreens! Tut. Yes; most of the fir tribe are evergreens; and as they are generally natives of cold, mountainous countries, they contribute greatly to cheer the wintry landscape. Geo. You were so good, when we walked out last, to tell us a great deal about oaks. I thought it one of the prettiest lessons I ever heard. I should be glad if you would give us such another about firs. Har. So should I too, I am sure. Tut. With all my heart, and I am pleased that you ask me. Nothing is so great an encouragement to a tutor as to find his pupils of their own accord seeking after useful knowledge. Geo. And I think it is very useful to know such things as these. may know Tut. Certainly it is. Well then You the Pine or Fir tribe in general at first sight, as most of them are of a bluish-green colour, and all have leaves consisting of a strong, narrow, pointed blade, which gives them somewhat of a stiff appearance. Then all of them bear a hard, scaly fruit, of a longish or conical form. Har. Are they what we call fir-apples ? Tut. Yes; that is one of the names boys give them. Har. We often pick them up under trees, and throw them at one another. Geo. I have sometimes brought home my pocket full, to burn. They make a fine clear flame. Tut. Well-do you know where the seed lies in them? Geo. No-have they any? Tut. Yes; at the bottom of every scale lie two winged seeds; but when the scales open, the seeds fall out; so that you can seldom find any in those you pick up. Har. Are the seeds good for anything? Tut. There is a kind of pine in the south of Europe, called the Stone Pine, the kernels of which are eaten, and said to be as sweet as an almond. And birds pick out the seeds of other sorts, though they are so well defended by the woody scales. Har. They must have good strong bills, then. Tut. Of this tribe of trees a variety of species are found in different countries and are cultivated in this. But the only kind native here, is the Wild Pine, or Scotch Fir. Of this there are large natural forests ir the highlands of Scotland; and the principal plantations consist of it. It is a hardy sort, fit for barren and mountainous soils, but grows slowly. Geo. Pray what are those very tall trees, that grow in two rows before the old hall in our village? Tut. They are the Common or Spruce Fir, a native of Norway, and other northern countries, and one of the loftiest of the tribe. But observe those trees that grow singly in the grounds opposite to us, with widespread branches pointing downwards, and trailing on the ground, thence gradually lessening, till the top of the tree ends almost in a point. Har. What beautiful trees! Tut. They are the pines called Larches, natives of the Alps and Apennines, and now frequently planted to decorate our gardens. These are not properly evergreens, as they shed their leaves in winter, but quickly recover them again. Then we have, besides, the Weymouth Pine, which is the tallest species in America— the Silver Fir, so called from the silvery hue of its foliage the Pinaster-and a tree of ancient fame, the Cedar of Lebanon. Geo. I suppose that is a very great tree. Tut. It grows to a large size, but is very slow in coming to its full growth. Geo. Are Pines and Firs very useful trees? Tut. Perhaps the most so of any. By much the greatest part of the wood used among us comes from them. Har. What more than from the oak? Tut. Yes, much more. Almost all the timber used in building houses, for floors, beams, rafters, and roofs, is fir. Geo. Does it all grow in this country? Tut. Scarcely any of it. Norway, Sweden, and Russia, are the countries whence we chiefly draw our timber, and a vast trade there is in it. You have seen timber-yards ? Geo. O yes-several. Tut. In them you would observe some very long, thick beams, called balks. These are whole trees, only stripped of the bark and squared. You would also see great piles of planks, and boards, of different lengths and thickness. Those are called deal, and are brought over, ready sawn, from the countries where they grow. They are of different colours. The white are chiefly from the fir-tree; the yellow and red from the pine. Har. I suppose there must be great forests of them in those countries, or else they could not send us so much. Tut. Yes. The mountains of Norway are overrun with them, enough for the supply of all Europe; but on account of their ruggedness, and the want of roads, it is found impossible to get the trees, when felled, down to the sea-coast, unless they grow near some river. Geo. How do they manage them? Tut. They take the opportunity when the rivers are swelled with rains, or melted snow, and tumble the trees into them, when they are carried down to the mouth of the rivers, where they are stopped by a sort of pens. Har. I should like to see them swimming down the stream. Tut. Yes-it would be curious enough; for in some places these torrents roll over rocks, making steep waterfalls, down which the trees are carried headlong, and often do not rise again till they have got to a considerable distance; and many of them are broken and torn to pieces in the passage. Geo. Are these woods used for anything besides building ? Tut. For a variety of purposes; such as boxes, trunks, packing-cases, pales, wainscots, and the like. Deal is a very soft wood, easily worked, light, and cheap, which makes it preferred for so many uses, though it is not very durable, and is very liable to split. Har. Yes-I know; my box is made of deal, and the lid is split all to pieces, with driving nails into it. Geo. Are ships ever built with fir ? Tut. It was one of the first woods made use of for naval purposes; and in the poets you will find the words Pine and Fir frequently employed to signify ship. But as navigation has improved, the stronger and more durable woods have generally taken its place. However, in the countries where fir is very plentiful, large ships are still built with it; for though they last only a short time, they cost so little in pro portion, that the profit of a few voyages is sufficient to repay the expense. Then, from the great lightness of the wood, they swim higher in the water, and consequently will bear more loading. Most of the large ships that bring timber from Archangel, in Russia, are built of fir. As for the masts of ships, they, as I have already told you, are all made of fir or pine, on account of their straightness and lightness. Geo. Are there not some lines in Milton's Paradise Lost about that? Tut. Yes: the spear of Satan is magnified by a comparison with a lofty pine. "His spear, to equal which the tallest Pine Har. I remember, too, that the walking staff of the giant Polypheme was a pine. Tut. Ay-so Homer and Ovid tell us; and he must have been a giant, indeed, to use such a stick. Well, so much for the wood of these trees. But I have more to say about their uses. Har. I am glad of it. Tut. All of the tribe contain a juice of a bitterish taste and strong fragrant smell. This, in some, is so abundant as to flow out from incisions; when it is called Turpentine. The larch, in particular, yields a large quantity. Turpentine is one of the substances called resinous; it is sticky, transparent, very inflammable, and will not mix with water, but will dissolve in spirits of wine. Geo. What is it used for? Tut. It is used medicinally, and surgically, particularly in the composition of plasters and ointments. It also is an ingredient in varnishes, cements, and the like. An oil, distilled from turpentine, is employed in medicine, and is much used by painters, for mixing up their colours. What remains, after getting this oil, is common resin. All these substances take fire ver? |