Fir

a coniferous, evergreen tree. The common fir grows from Maine to minnesota and northward. It also follows the mountains to Virginia. In the most northerly or arctic part of its range it becomes a prostrate shurb. The seeds and bark bear minute cells of resinous balsam, whence, among lumbermen, the tree goes by the name of balsam fir. The leaves have a prominent midrib on the whitened lower surface, and are so arranged that the spreading branchlets seem flattened. The tips of fir branches are chosen by the hunter for a camp bed. They are laid with regularity, almost on end, so that the soft tips only are exposed. There are numerous species. The fir is the commonest coniferous tree of the Black Forest and of Switzerland. It is a valuable timber for masts and for housebuilding. The magnificent forest trees of the Pacific coast--the pride of the American lumberman--are mostly firs. A staff of Washington fir upholds the British flag above Windsor castle. Another is said to carry the Japanese flag at Tokio. See Conifers