ses in size, however, the upper branches become
mingled together, and the tree is then clump-headed. Numerous lateral
ramifying branches spread out from the main trunk in a horizontal
direction, tier upon tier, covering a compass of ground the diameter of
which is often greater than the height of the tree. William Gilpin, in
his _Forest Scenery_, describes a cedar which, at an age of about 118
years, had attained to a height of 53 ft. and had a horizontal expanse
of 96 ft. The branchlets of the cedar take the same direction as the
branches, and the foliage is very dense. The tree, as with the rest of
the fir-tribe, except the larch, is evergreen; new leaves are developed
every spring, but their fall is gradual. In shape the leaves are
straight, tapering, cylindrical and pointed; they are about 1 in. long
and of a dark green colour, and grow in alternate tufts of about thirty
in number. The male and female flowers grow on the same tree, but are
separate. The cones, which are on the upper side of the branches, are
flattened at the ends and are 4 to 5 in. in length and 2 in. wide; they
take two years to come to perfection and while growing exude much resin.
The scales are close pressed to one another and are reddish in colour.
The seeds are provided with a long membranous wing. The root of the tree
is very strong and ramifying. The cedar flourishes best on sandy, loamy
soils. It still grows on Lebanon, though for several centuries it was
believed to be restricted to a small grove in the Kadisha valley at 6000
ft. elevation, about 15 m. from Beyrout. The number of trees in this
grove has been gradually diminishing, and as no young trees or seedlings
occur, the grove will probably become extinct in course of time. Cedars
are now known to occur in great numbers on Mt. Lebanon, chiefly on the
western slopes, not forming a continuous forest, but in groves, some of
which contain several thousands of trees. There are also large forests
on the higher slopes of the Taurus and Anti-Taurus mountains. Lamartine
tells us that the Arabs regard the trees as endowed with the principles
of continual existence, and with reasoning and prescient powers, which
enable them to prepare for the changes of the seasons.

The wood of the cedar of Lebanon is fragrant, though not so strongly
scented as that of the juniper or red-cedar of America. The wood is
generally reddish-brown, light and of a coarse grain and spongy texture,
easy to work, but liabl