long, produced, like those of the Hazel, late in autumn; the round red scales each holding three flowers, consisting of three, four or five sepals, and as many stamens. The female spikes are not produced till spring : they are more globular, and resemble minute cedar cones. The scales are reddish-brown and fleshy, afterwards becoming hard and woody; there are two or three flowers in each, consisting of two sepals, an ovary and two styles. When ripe (October) the thick scales separate and set free the pale-brown nuts, which are very slightly winged.
In suitable situations the Alder attains a stature of forty to sixty feet, and reaches maturity in about sixty years. The wood is soft and white, but turns orange by exposure after cutting. Under water it is very enduring, all but imperishable, and the Rialto at Venice is said to be built on Alder-piles. It is greatly used in the manufacture of gunpowder.
Alnus is the old Latin name for the tree, and for a boat.
Scotch-fir or Pine (Pinus sylvestris).
This, the Juniper, and the Yew are the only coniferous trees
we have in Britain. Pinus sylvestris is therefore our only Pine,
yet people persist in calling it a Fir, a name more especially
belonging to the genus Abies. Time was when this beautiful
tree grew wild in many parts of Britain; it is now found
naturally in but a few places, from Yorkshire northwards;
otherwhere it has been planted. We may easily tell whether a
cone-bearing tree before us is a Pine or not by examining the
leaf-cluster. If the leaves are in twos, threes, or fives, bound
together at the base by thin, chaffy scales, it is a Pine. Should
they be in twos, the leaves will be found to be half-rounded; if
in threes or fives, they will be triangular in section. The cones,
or fruits, of the Pines take two years to ripen. The scales of
which the cones are made up are thicker at the free end, so that
the outer surface of each scale is pyramidal.
