Very interesting picture and story, Lorraine! Any tree that's "bonsai'd" is suffering some kind of stress, usually of course a severely restricted root system. In this case it might be that most coniferous trees form mycorrhizae (symbiotic relationships with specific fungae in their roots) which enable them to feed more efficiently. If this is a pot-grown tree, it probably hasn't been able to create this relationship, and is stunted as a result.