LIST OF CONIFEROUS WOODS. 73 



cypress" and "white cypress" are heavy and light forms of the same species. 

 The cypress is a large deciduous tree, occupying much of the swamp and over- 

 flow land along the coast and rivers of the Southern States. 

 FIR. — This name is frequently applied to wood and to trees which are not fir; most 

 commonly to spruce, but also, especially in English markets, to pine. It resem- 

 bles spruce, but is easily distinguished from it, as well as from pine and larch, by 

 the absence of resin ducts. Quality, uses, and habits similar to spruce. 

 9. Balsam fir (Abies balsamea): A medium-sized tree scattered throughout the 

 northern piueries; cut, in lumber operations whenever of sufficient size, and 

 sold with pine or spruce. Minnesota to Maine and northward. 



10. White fir (Abies grandis and Abies concolor) : Medium to Aery large sized tree, 

 forming an important part of most of the Western mountain forests, and fur- 

 nishing much of the lumber of the respective regions. The former occurs from 

 Vancouver to central California and eastward to Montana; the latter from 

 < (regon to Arizona and eastward to Colorado and New Mexico. 



11. White fir (Abies amabilis) : Good- sized tree, often forming extensive mountain 

 forests. Cascade Mountains of Washington and Oregon. 



12. Rei> fir (Abies nobilis) (not to be confounded with Douglas fir; see No. 37): 

 Large to very large tree, forming with A. amabilis extensive forests on the 

 slope of the mountains between 3,000 and 4,000 feet elevation. Cascade Moun- 

 tains of Oregon. 



13. Red fir (Abies magnifiea): Very large tree, forming forests about the base of 

 Mount Shasta. Sierra Nevada of California, from Mount Shasta southward. 



HEMLOCK. — Light to medium weight, soft, stiff but brittle, commonly crossgrained, 

 rough and splintery ; sapwood and heartwood not well defined ; the wood of a light, 

 reddish-gray color, free from resin ducts, moderately durable, shrinks and warps 

 considerably, wears rough, retains nails firmly. Used principally for dimension 

 stuff and timbers. Hemlocks are medium to large sized trees, commonly scattered 

 among broad-leaved trees and conifers, but often forming forests of almost pure 

 growth. 



14. Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis): Medium-sized tree, furnishes almost all the 

 hemlock of the Eastern market. Maine to Wisconsin; also following the Alle- 

 ghanies southward to Georgia and Alabama. 



15. Hemlock (Tsuga meriensiana) : Large-sized tree, wood claimed to be heavier 

 and harder than the Eastern form and of superior quality. Washington to 

 California and eastward to Montana. 



LARCH OR TAMARACK. — Wood like the best of bard pine, both in appearance, 

 quality, and uses, and owing to its great durability, somewhat preferred in ship- 

 building, for telegraph poles, and railroad ties. In its structure it resembles 

 spruce. The larches are deciduous trees, occasionally covering considerable areas, 

 but usually scattered among other conifers. 



16. Tamarack (Larix americana) (Hackmatack): Medium-sized tree, often cov- 

 ering swamps, in which case it is smaller and of poor quality. Maine to Minne- 

 sota, and southward to Pennsylvania. 



17. Tamarack (L. occiden talis): Large-sized trees, scattered, locally abundant. 

 Washington and Oregon to Montana.' 



PINE.— Very variable, very light and soft in "soft" pine, such as white pine; of 

 medium weight to heavy and quite hard iu "hard" pine, of which lougleaf or 

 Georgia pine is the extreme form. Usually it is stiff, quite strong, of even texture, 

 and more or less resinous. The sapwood is yellowish white ; the heartwood, orange 

 brown. Pine shrinks moderately, seasons rapidly and without much injury; it 

 works easily; is never too hard to nail (unlike oak or hickory) ; it is mostly quite 

 durable, and if well seasoned is not subject to the attacks of boring insects. The 

 heavier the wood, the darker, stronger, and harder it is, and the more it shrinks 

 and checks. Pine is used more extensively thau any other kind of wood. It is 



