escribed below, is another cone-bearing tree which sheds its
leaves in winter.

[Illustration: FIG. 15.--Twig of the Larch in Winter.]

Form and size: A medium-sized tree with a conical head and a straight
and tapering trunk. (See Fig. 90.)

Range: Central Europe and eastern and central United States.

Soil and location: Requires a deep, fresh, well-drained soil and needs
plenty of light. It flourishes in places where our native species
would die. Grows very rapidly.

Enemies: The larch is subject to the attacks of a _sawfly_, which has
killed many trees of the American species. A _fungus_ (_Trametes
pini_) which causes the tree to break down with ease is another of
its enemies.

Value for planting: A well-formed tree for the lawn. It is also useful
for group planting in the forest.

Commercial value: Because its wood is strong and durable the larch is
valuable for poles, posts, railroad ties, and in shipbuilding.

[Illustration: FIG. 16.--Twig of the Cypress.]

Other characters: The _fruit_ is a small cone about one inch long,
adhering to the tree throughout the winter.

[Illustration: FIG. 17.--The Bald Cypress.]

Comparisons: The tree is apt to be confused with the _American larch_,
also known as _tamarack_ and _hackmatack_, but differs from it in
having longer leaves, cones twice as large and more abundant and
branches which are more pendulous.

The larch differs from the bald cypress in the broader form of its
crown and the cluster-like arrangement of its leaves. The twigs of
the bald cypress are flat and feathery. The larch and bald cypress
have the common characteristics of both shedding their leaves in
winter and preferring to grow in moist or swampy soils. The larch,
especially the native species, forms the well-known tamarack swamps
of the north. The bald cypress grows in a similar way in groups in
the southern swamps.

BALD CYPRESS (_Taxodium distichum_)

Distinguishing characters: The *feathery character* of the *twigs*, Fig.
16, and the *spire-like form* of the tree, Fig. 17, which is taller
and more slender than the larch, will distinguish this species from
others.

[Illustration: FIG. 18.--Cypress "Knees."]

Leaf: The leaves drop off in October, though the tree is of the
cone-bearing kind. In this respect it is like the larch.

Form and size: Tall and pyramidal.

Range: The cypress