750 [Assembly 



hollow at the core. The red cedar was discovered at the first oc- 

 cupation of the country, but is now nearly extirpated. Seve- 

 ral varieties of the maple and birches, the black walnut, the- 

 black cherry and butternut, often stately and splendid trees, are 

 highly valued in the arts and manufactures, and are exported in 

 considerable quantities for these purposes. Tlie Oaks (particu- 

 larly the white oak,) were formerly of great importance, and 

 still continue to a considerable extent, as articles of ex]'ortation, 

 at one period, to Canada, but now to the southern markets. The 

 larch or hackmatack, is abundant and highly valuable. This 

 timber, witli the cedar and oak, afford most excellent material in 

 ship building. The Juniper, flourishes in great abiuidance in 

 many sections of the county, indicating however by its presence 

 a thin and sterile soil. It spreads, a few inches elevated above 

 tlie earth, a thick and perfect umbel, often sereral feet in diame- 

 ter, mantled by a deep and rich green foliage. Standing in soli- 

 tary plants or in clusters, it imparts an unique and highly orna- 

 mental feature to the scenery. 



The product of wood, in the primitive and vigorous forest, is 

 vast ; upon exuberant soils, often exceeding one hundred cords to 

 the acre, and among the rocks and broken acclivities, sel- 

 dom yielding less than twenty cords. Within an area of se- 

 veral miles around manufacturing works, the value of the 

 wood, standing, ranges from twenty-five cents to one dol- 

 lar and a quarter the cord, controlled in its price by its quality 

 and position. This estimate refers to localities where the ad- 

 vantages of transportation authorise the erection of manufactories, 

 and not to regions more remote and inaccessible. Such districts 

 are happily rare in the county, and are rapidly diminishing before 

 the progress of improving facilities of intercourse. The great in- 

 crease of steamers upon Lake Champlain, in addition to the con- 

 sumption of the manufactories, has immensely augmented the de- 

 mand of wood. The fuel for steamboats, formerly required, em- 

 braced evergreen timber alone, it now extends to every variety of 

 wood. The cutting and preparing steamboat wood affords con- 

 stant and useful occupation to the laboring classes during the win- 

 ter, in the vicinity of the lake, and profitably employs at home 

 the teams of the neighboring farmers, during the same season, in 



