class of trees; that is, trees which bear cones. The pines may be
told from the other coniferous trees by their leaves, which are in
the form of _needles_ two inches or more in length. These needles
keep green throughout the entire year. This is characteristic of all
coniferous trees, except the larch and cypress, which shed their
leaves in winter.

[Illustration: FIG. 2.--Twig of the White Pine.]

The pines are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere,
and include about 80 distinct species with over 600 varieties. The
species enumerated here are especially common in the eastern part of
the United states, growing either native in the forest or under
cultivation in the parks. The pines form a very important class of
timber trees, and produce beautiful effects when planted in groups
in the parks.

How to tell them from each other: The pine needles are arranged in
_clusters_; see Fig. 1. Each species has a certain characteristic
number of needles to the cluster and this fact generally provides
the simplest and most direct way of distinguishing the different
pines.

In the white pine there are _five_ needles to each cluster, in the
pitch pine _three_, and in the Scotch pine _two_. The Austrian pine
also has two needles to the cluster, but the difference in size and
character of the needles will distinguish this species from the
Scotch pine.