Evenings at Home; Or, The Juvenile Budget Opened. John Aikin

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      EVENING VII.

ON THE PINE AND FIR TRIBE.—A Dialogue.

       Table of Contents

      Tutor—George—Harry.

      Tutor. Let us sit down awhile on this bench, and look about us. What a charming prospect!

      Harry. I admire those pleasure-grounds. What beautiful clumps of trees there are in that lawn!

      George. 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’m 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.

      Tut. Certainly it is. Well, then—you may know 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 each other.

      Geo. I have sometimes brought home my pocket full to burn. They make a fine clear flame.

      Tut. Well—do you know where the seeds lie 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 in 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 spreading downward, 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, introduced into this country about the middle of the last century, for the purpose, at first, of decorating our gardens, and of which extensive plantations for timber have since been made, both in England and Scotland. 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. СКАЧАТЬ