CHAP. Bill.

coni'fjsr/e. zn'NUS.

2257

in diameter, oftenhaving 10 in. of per-fect wood. Theconcentric circles,in a trunk fully de-veloped, are close,and at equal dis-tances ; and the re-sinous matter, whichis abundant, is moreuniformly distri-buted than in theother species. Hencethe wood is strong-er, more compact,and more durable :it is, besides, fine-grained, and sus-ceptible of a highpolish. These ad-vantages give it apreference, as atimber tree, overevery other Ameri-can pine; but itsquality is modifiedby the nature of thesoil in which itgrows. In the neigh-bourhood of the sea,where only a thinlayer of mould re-poses on the sand,it is more resinousthan where themould is 4 in. or 5 in.thick ; and the treeswhich grow uponthe first-mentionedsoil are called pitchpines, as if they weredistinct species. Incertain soils, itswood contracts areddish hue ; and itis, for that reason,known in the dock-yards of the northern

states by the name of the red pine. Wood of this tint is considered thebest; and, in the opinion of some shipwrights, it is more durable on the sidesof vessels, and less liable to injury from worms, than the oak. In the climateof London, P. australis is rather tender. The largest plant that we knowof is at Farnham Castle, which, in 1834, after being 35 years planted, was20 ft. high. There is one at Dropmore, of which Jig. 2160. is a portrait, tothe scale of 1 in. to 8 ft. This tree was planted where it now stands, inSeptember, 1824, when only 4 in. high; and it is now (September, 1837)16 ft. high, without having, during that period, received the slightest pro-tection. M. Vilmorin states, in the Bon Jardimer for 1837, that, in theneighbourhood of Paris, this pine is generally grown in boxes, and taken into

7 g 2

2158