Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/52

* PINE. 34 XoiUiorn States is Piniis divaricata or rimie ISanksiiimi. It nbouinN ficiiii New Briinswirk to the iliu-kfiizic Kivcr mid soutliwuid about the Great Lakes, furiiixliiiip the cover to the exten- sive pino barrens of Uiat region, csi)coially in Aliehiyan. Jt is of little value except for fuel. Next to the white pine perhaps the most valu- able species in the North is the red or Norway pine {I'intis rcsiiiosa), which is found from the Gulf of Saint Lawri'uce to .Manitoba and south to Minmsota ami IViinsvlvania. It occurs as trees CO to 100 feet tall and 2 feet in diameter, often forniing extensive forests upon dry sandy soils. The wood is lijjht, hard, elastic, resinous, and durable except when in contact with the ground. Its uses are similar to tho.sc of the short-leaved pine farther south. The Northern pitch pine tl'iiiiis riiiUla), which occurs (Inou^'h- oiit Ihi' iKulhcastcni jiorticin of the United Stales and adjacent Canada, is of little value except for fuel and charcoal, but, although rich in resin, it is little used, the Georgia ])ine having control of the market. .mong the important species of the Pacific region may be mentioned the sugar pine {I'iniis Lambertiaiia) and the bull pine (['i-nus pomlc- rosa). The former is one of the largest of the genus, the trees attaining a height of 150 to .300 feet and nmre than 10 feet in diameter. It occurs through Oregon ami California. The tree trunks are straiglit and withotit branches for a considerable portion of their height. The timber is of excellent cpiality. solid, straight-grained, docs not warp, and is easily w-orked. so that it is in demand for linishing lumber and cabinet work. The tree exudes a resin which wlicn Imrneil has a sugar-like llavor. hence the name. The seeds of this and many other species of Western jiines are ealcn in c(iiisidera))le quantifies as mils. The bull pine, which has several well-marked va- rieties of diverse utility, is found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast, where it attains a height of 100 to I.IO feet and a diameter of 5 to fi feet; occasional trees are found 2.10 feet high and 10 feet in diameter. bit it is rather smaller in the Kocky Mountain region. In the Pacific Coast region the tiiiibir is heavy, hard, strong, and fine-grained: larther inland it is coarser-grained, harder, and more brittle. In the soulhwestern part of the Iniled States are four species known as PiTion pines (I'iniis par- ryana, I'iniis cemhroiden. ['inun mn-nr)i)lii/ll(i, and I'itius ediilis). The various species found from Colorado and THah to Texas and California are ehielly known for their large edible seeds called pinons. These are eaten as nuts ((|.v.). The trees arc for the most part small and of little value except for their seeds and for fuel, .^niong the Mexican s]iecies of pines the most valuable and interesting are PiniiK Ai/iimhiiilc and I'iniiK Moiitc::um(r, trees of considerable size, the former somewhat resend)ling the white pine of the United .States. In Europe the most valuable as well as the most widely distributed species are Pinus sylves- iris. Pinus Lnricio, and Pinus /lo/c/icnsi."!. The Scotch pine or .Scotch fir [I'inus si/lves- trin) occurs in innnense forests sometimes mixed with spruce fir in some European countries, and is the only species indigenous to Great Britain. It attains a height of 80 to 100 feet and a diameter of from 2 to 4 feet, and is frequently PINE. seen with very large branches resembling trunks. It is of quick growth and has been known to at- tain the age of 400 years. Us very resinous and durable timber, known as red deal and red pine, is highly valued, being used in house and ship carpentry. There is great dillei-eiicc, however, in the timlxT grown in dillcient soils and situa- tions, inferior white, soft, and comparatively worthless grades being produced in rich soils and sheltered situations. .Several varieties yield very superior timber. The Scotch pine is valuable also on account of its turpentine, tar. pitch, and resin. Oil of turpentine is sometimes dis- tilled from the cones and the leaves, which last have also been used in Geriiiany for the iiiami- faeture of a tow-like substance called Wiiltl- tcolle (forest wool), suitable for stuffing cushions, etc. The black or Corsican pine or black fir (I'iiiKs Lariiio), a native of Austria, but found through- out Southern Europe, is another species closely allied to the Scotch pine. It is remarkable for its very long leaves and its content of roin. which is more abundant than in any other European tree. It often attains a heiglit of 1 tO feet upon sandy soils, and has been employed to prevent sand drifting. Its timber is of little value, but a great part of the turpentine of the maritime districts of France is obtained from it. It yields also part of the Burgundy pitch in the market. The -Meppo pine (PiiiKa linlepcnsix), a native of the south of Europe, Syria, etc., is a very graceful tree of moderate size, with slender leaves in pairs. It yields a liquid resin or turpentine, which is extracted from it in Provence and elsewhere, and sol<l as Venice turpentine. Th<' vyood is exten- sively used in the Levant for ship liuihling. The [liiiaster or cluster pine (Pi.n)in I'iiiiislrr) is an- other important European species. It is found on the shores of the Mediterranean, and also in the Himalayas and in China. Like the black fir, it has been largely used in France for covering waste sandy tracts. The timber is. of inferior quality, but it yields large quantities of resin and Bordeaux turpentine. The stone pine (Pinus Pinea), a tree with a broad iiniluella-shapcd head, forms a character- istic feature of the scenery of the .Mediterranean, and is very often introduced in paintings. It is the I'ime of the Germans, the pifiiion of the rrench. The seeds, which do not ri]ien till the fourth year, are large, abound in a fixed oil. and when fresh have a sweet taste resembling that of almonds, lik*" which they are used in Italy and otiicr countries. Their use, however, is almost entirely confined to the countries in which they are produced, as they vei")' soon lieconie r.'incid. The wood is useful and beautiful. The Cembra jiiiie or Swiss pine {I'iiius f'riiihrd). which grows in the central parts of Europe and the south of Siberia, is a stately tree, with more persistent lower branches than in most pines. It has rigid leaves in groups of three to five and ]iioduces edible seeds (cembra nuts), which, although ex- tracted with difficulty, are much used in Siberia, this fruit being so much prized that trees are often cut down to obtain it. The cembra pine yields a pellucid, whitish oil. resembling oil of turpentine, and known as Carpathian balsam. The Himalaya mountains abound in ])ines. some of which rival in magnificence those of North- west America. The Bhotan pine ( Pinus cxcelsa) ,