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.

THE WHITE PINE (Pinus strobus)

Distinguishing characters:  The tree can be told at close range by the
    number of needles to each cluster, Fig. 2.  There are five needles
    to each cluster of the white pine.  They are bluish green, slender,
    and about four inches in length.

    At a distance the tree may be told by the right angles which the
    branches form with the main trunk, Fig. 3.  No other pine shows this
    character.

Form and size:  A tall tree, the stateliest of the evergreens.

Range:  Eastern North America.

Soil and location:  Prefers a deep, sandy soil, but will grow in almost
    any soil.

Enemies:  Sucking insects forming white downy patches on the bark and
    twigs, the white pine weevil, a boring insect, and the white pine
    blister rust, a fungus, are among its principal enemies.

[Illustration:  FIG. 3.—­The White Pine.]

Value for planting:  Aside from its value as an ornamental tree, the
    white pine is an excellent tree to plant on abandoned farms and for
    woodlands and windbreaks throughout the New England States, New
    York, Pennsylvania, and the Lake States.

Commercial value:  The wood is easily worked, light, durable, and will
    not warp.  It is used for naval construction, lumber, shingles,
    laths, interior finish, wooden ware, etc.

Other characters:  The fruit is a cone, four to six inches long.

Comparisons:  The tree is apt to be confused with the Bhotan pine
    (Pinus excelsa), which is commonly grown as an ornamental tree. 
    The Bhotan pine, however, has needles much longer and more drooping
    in appearance.

THE PITCH PINE (Pinus rigida)