FIR (AS. furh, Teel. furs, (MG. forhu, Ger. Fiihre; ultimately connected with Lat. quereus, oak). The popular name applied to many conif. emus trees of the genus Aides. This name ha< often been employed to embrace all the evergreen coniferous trees that have short. rigid leaves, occurring singly. scattered over the stems, as dis tirmished from the pines (Pious), whose leaves are longer and usually occur in bundles of two to five or more, and from those conifers having small imbricate scale-like leaves, as arbor-vita? and various cedars. The name fir should he re tanned exclusively for species of the genus Abies, and the related trees should be called hemlock (Tsuga), spruce Picea), etc. confusion has existed in the botanical nomenclature of all these trees, but, following the best modern con ception of them, the use of fir should be limited as above. The species of Abies are mostly trees of pyramidal habit, with erect cones, maturing in one season. Their short leaves, arranged upon the horizontal branches in such a way as to ap pear to be two-ranked, are flattened, the midrib showing prominently upon the under side. There are about 25 species found throughout the cooler portions of the north temperate zone. One of the most common is the silver fir of Europe (Abics picea or Abies peetinata). It is a com mon tree in central Europe, attaining a height of 150 to 200 feet, with a basal diameter of six to eight feet. In some places it occurs over exten sive tracts to the almost entire exclusion of other species. The wood, which is white, soft, of light weight, and contains little resin, is employed in many ways. The tree yields the Strassbnrg tur pentine, which is a superior clear variety. Quite similar is the North American balsam-tree (Abies balsamea). This species is fond from Virginia northward. It attains a height of 50 to SO feet : the wood is light and not durable. From the sap Canada balsam is obtained. Closely related to it is Fraser's fir (Abies Fraseri), which is found farther south. This is a smaller tree, with smaller cones and different shaped bracts. Upon the Pa cific Coast are a number of indigenous species of fir, the timber of which is very valuable. Aides
grandis, which is found from British Columbia. to Lower California, one of the finest trees of that region, is known as the great silver fir, and at tains a height of 300 feet and a diameter of 10 feet or more. The wood is white and soft, and is extensively consumed for cooperage, boxes. etc. Closely related to it is the A Lies nobilis of the same range, with much the same characteristics. Both species are highly valued in England as ornamentals. lust they have not been extensively planted in the eastern United States. Abics Yordmanniana of the Caucasus is one of the most hardy of all the species of fir. It is a tree that becomes 150 feet high, with a trunk diameter of four or five feet. It has been introduced for forest and windbreak planting in parts of the United States, and has already proved one of the most valuable evergreens for such uses. The Mount Enos fir (Aides cephalonica) and the Spanish fir (Thes Pinsapo) occur in the south of Europe, where they are trees 50 to SO feet tall. Their timber is considered valuable. Abics 11:eb b/min occurs in I he Himalaya Mountains at ele vations from 7000 to 13,000 feet. It is a fine tree, growing to n height of 130 feet or more, and diameter of eight to ten foci. The wood is harder and heavier than that of most species of fir, con tains more resin, and as timber is very valuable. In Mexico is found Ables religiosa, a magnifi cent, silvery-leaved tree, which grows to a height of 150 feet, and a diameter of six feet. It is well adapted to lath and shingle making. The boughs are extensively used as a church decora tion. A number of oilier species attain the size of large trees, as braeteata of the Pacific Coast ; Sibiriea of Siberia and Rassia ; bins rilieica of Asia Minor; Aides Vritehii, and Ablest homolepis of Japan. Of many of the above enu merated species of Abies there are cultural va rieties that differ in habit of branching, color of foliage. drooping habit, etc., some of them boing very handsome ornamental trees. For accounts of the somewhat similar and often combined species of evergreen conifers, see SPRUCE and HEMLOCK.