The mountains of California . The average size of full-grown trees on the west-ern slope, where it is associated with the SugarPine, is a little less than 200 feet in height andfrom five to six feet in diameter, though specimensmay easilv be found that are consideral)lv measmed one, growing at an elevation of 4000feet in the valh^y of the Merced, that is a few inchesover eight feet in diameter, and 220 feet high. Where there is plenty of free sunshine and otherconditions are favoi-able, it presents a striking con-trast in form to the Sugar Pine, being a symmetricalspire, formed of a s
The mountains of California . The average size of full-grown trees on the west-ern slope, where it is associated with the SugarPine, is a little less than 200 feet in height andfrom five to six feet in diameter, though specimensmay easilv be found that are consideral)lv measmed one, growing at an elevation of 4000feet in the valh^y of the Merced, that is a few inchesover eight feet in diameter, and 220 feet high. Where there is plenty of free sunshine and otherconditions are favoi-able, it presents a striking con-trast in form to the Sugar Pine, being a symmetricalspire, formed of a straight round trunk, clad williinnumerable ])ranches that are divided over andove) again. About one half of the tiuidc is com-niouly Itraiicliless, Ijut where? it grows at all close,three foui-ths or more become nake(l; tlie ti-ee ])re-sonting then ;i more slender and elegant sliall thanany other tree in The bark i^ niosl 1\ in niassixc jihilcs, s-unc of thcni 164 THE MOUNTAINS OF CALIFOKNIA. PINUS PONDEROSA. four or five feet in leiigtli by eighteen inches inwidth, with a thickness of three or four inches, THE FORESTS 165 fonning a quite marked and distiiignisliiiig needles are of a fine, warm, yellow-gi-een color,six to eight inches long, firm and elastic, andcrowded in liandsome, radiant tassels on the upturn-ing ends of the branches. The cones are about threeor four inches long, and two and a half wide, grow-ing in close, sessile clusters among the leaves. The species attains its noblest form in filled-uplake basins, especially in those of the older yosem-ites, and so prominent a i)art does it form of theirgroves that it may well be called the YosemitePine, Ripe specimens favorably situated are almostalways 200 feet or more in height, and the branchesclothe the trunk nearly to the giound, as seen inthe illustration. The Jeffrey variety attains its finest developmentin the northern portion of the range, in the widebasins of the j
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectcaliforniadescriptio
