Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/543

 PINE abundant and most widely distributed of the pines of California and Oregon, and often grows 100 ft. high ; its leaves are from 9 to 12 in. long and much tufted at the ends of the branches; the ovate cones 3 in. long; the wood is heavy and resinous, but less valuable than that of the sugar pine. The New Mexican nut pine (P. edulis) is abundant in parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico; its usual height is about 30 ft. ; its foliage short and curved ; the cones, scarcely 2 in. long, con- tain large edible seeds, which the Mexicans call pinones ; these are collected in large quan- tities and sold at fairs and festivals as peanuts are with us. Several extra-American pines are common in cultivation ; of those with the leaves in fives are the Bhotan and Swiss stone pines. The Bhotan pine (P. excelsa) is from the Himalaya at elevations of 6,000 ft. and upward ; it is so like our white pine as to have been considered a variety of that species; it has much longer leaves and a denser habit ; it is not altogether hardy, but where it will suc- ceed it is one of the most ornamental of pines. The Swiss stone pine (P. Cembrd) is from the Alps at elevations of 4,000 ft. and over, where it forms large forests ; its height is about 50 ft. ; its leaves are 2 to 3 in. long, and its ovate erect cones 3 in. long ; these, when full grown and yet unripe, are of a bright purple color and very ornamental. The tree is well suited to our climate, being perfectly hardy, forming a hand- some cone of foliage, with branches quite to the ground ; its chief objection is its very slow growth; its variety pygmcea seldom grows higher than 3 ft. The remaining exotic pines cultivated for ornament belong to the two- leaved division; the best known of these is the Scotch pine (P. sylvestris), more commonly but incorrectly called Scotch fir ; it is widely distributed over northern and central Europe and Russian Asia ; it is indigenous to the high- lands of Scotland, and is naturalized in parts of England; it occupies a similar position as to usefulness to that of the white pine with' us, and besides its supplying timber, large quantities of tar are made from it in northern Europe; it is a very rapid grow- er ; its leaves, from 1 to 2 in. long, are blu- ish green, and twist- ed ; the cones from 2 to 3 in. long, curved at the point. It adapts itself to a great variety 00116 f sA ve S h J) ne (PinU9 of situations, but, being more picturesque than beautiful, is not suited to small places. The Austrian pine (P. Austriaca), from the moun- tains of Lower Austria and neighboring coun- tries, grows in its native localities 120 ft. high, PINEAPPLE 527 and is much valued for its timber ; its leaves, from 3 to 5 in. long, are straight, rigid, and dark green ; the cones about 3 in. long, coni- cal, of a rich glossy brown. The tree has an exceedingly robust expression, which makes it very effective, and it is generally hardy and successful in all situations. Among the other exotic pines desirable for cultivation are the Corsican (P. laricio), the Mugho pine (P. Mu- gho a dwarf, the stone pine (P. pinea}, the dwarf pine (P. pumilio), and the Pyrenean pine (P. Pyrenaica), an account of which, and of numerous other less known species, and their adaptability to our climate, will be found in " The Book of Evergreens," by Josiah Hoopes (New York, 1868). Pines are usually propa- gated from seeds, which should always be kept in the cones until sown; young pines, like other seedling conifers, are very delicate the first year, and need shading and protection from excessive moisture. Pines can very sel- dom be raised from cuttings, but the rarer kinds are sometimes grafted upon seedlings of the commoner species, it being important to choose as stocks those which have the same number of leaves in a cluster with the one to be grafted. Our nurserymen have the seed- lings which are to serve as stocks potted, and insert the scion by means of a side graft, keep- ing the pots under glass until the union is well established. In France the herbaceous graft is practised, grafting young and succulent wood upon a stock in a similar condition. Pines which have been raised in a nursery and fre- quently transplanted, may be removed with as much certainty as other trees, provided their roots are properly packed ; if the resinous sap in the roots is once allowed to dry, no care can save the tree. PINE, an E. county of Minnesota, separated on the S. E. from Wisconsin by the St. Croix river; area, about 1,450 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 648. It is watered by Kettle and Snake rivers and other tributaries of the St. Croix, and is traversed by the Lake Superior and Mississippi railroad. The land is rolling, elevated, and productive. Capital, Chengwatana. PINEAPPLE, a tropical fruit, so called from its resemblance in form and external appear- ance to the cones of some species of pine ; its botanical name in most general use is ananassa sativa, but some botanists who do not regard it as distinct from Bromelia call it B. ananas. The Bromeliace, to which it belongs, are a small family of endogenous plants, quite nearly related to the canna, ginger, and banana fami- lies, and differing from them in having nearly regular flowers, and six stamens all perfect; they are generally stemless and mostly epi- phytes in the forests of tropical America ; some of the bromelias, bilbergias, and others are brilliant hothouse plants; and the family i represented in our southern states by several species of Tillandsia, one of which, a slender branching species, extends northward to the Dismal swamp in Virginia, and is popularly