Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/216

 208 FIB The firs are especially inhabitants of the colder parts of the world, though some are found in Asia and Mexico. The N". W. coast of North America is especially rich in firs, some of which assume majestic proportions in their native lo- calities, and on account of their symmetrical forms are highly prized in cultivation. The timber of the firs for the most part does not rank among the most valuable kinds, though that of some species is remarkable for its dura- bility ; but the several resinous products they furnish have considerable commercial and eco- nomical importance. The best known native species is the balsam or balm of Gilead fir, abies lalsamea, which is found from Pennsylvania northward, and is especially abundant in the British provinces. It grows 40 to 50 ft. high, and furnishes a wood of but little value ; its striking characteristic is the liquid turpentine or "balsam" which it furnishes. This is found in vesicles or blisters in the bark, Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea). which remains smooth even on old trees. This exudation is known as Canada balsam or bal- sam of fir ; but as the term balsam is now re- stricted to those oleo-resinous products which contain either benzoic or cinnamic acid, the proper name for the exudation from this fir is Canada turpentine. It is a clear, transparent fluid, of a honey-like consistence and a strongly terebinthinate taste. It consists of resin in so- lution in turpentine, and when exposed to the air loses the volatile turpentine and becomes brittle. It is collected by puncturing the blis- ters and receiving the liquid in a bottle or other receptacle; and as each vesicle yields but a teaspoonful or two, the process is a slow one. Formerly it was considerably employed in med- icine, but as it possesses only the stimulant and diuretic properties of other forms of turpentine, its present chief use is in mounting microscopic objects and in serving as a varnish for maps, for which purpose it is diluted with spirits of turpentine. When young, the balsam fir is re- markable for its beauty of color and symmetry of form, and was formerly used for ornament; but it so deteriorates with age, becoming shab- by by the death of the lower limbs, that it should be avoided by the planter. Closely re- Noble Silver Fir (Abies nobilis). ated to this species, and at one time confound- ed with it, is Fraser's balsam fir (A. Fraseri), which extends much further southward ; it has smaller cones and differently shaped bracts, but is similar in other respects. On the Pa- cific coast is found one of the finest of the firs, and indeed one of the grandest of conifer- ous trees, A. nobilis, the noble silver fir ; upon the mountains of the coast, at an altitude of 8,000 ft., it attains the height of over 200 ft. ; it has a cinnamon-colored bark and very large cones, which are noticeable for the conspicuous points of the bracts. This fine species is highly Great Silver Fir (Abies grandis) prized in England as an ornamental tree, but it has not been sufficiently tested in the Atlan- tic states to prove whether it is perfectly hardy or not. A. grandis, the great silver fir, is