IRISH GARDENING. 



43 



lumber annually than any other single species in 

 Anxerica. The cut in Canada represents over 

 15 per cent, of the total lumber production. 

 The tree in Canada is not found east of 

 of the Rocky 31ountains, the greater part of the 

 lumber being obtained in the Coast Eegion of 

 British Columbia. This is Canada's largest tree, 

 and fronr it larger timbers can be obtained than 

 from any other tree in America, with the single 

 exception perhaps of the California Redwood 

 (Sequoia). Up to the present time its use has 

 been largely confined to structural purposes, but 

 its attractive grain and figure are winning for it 

 popularity as a wood for more decorative pur- 

 poses, such as interior finish and cabinet work. 

 The wood comes fourth in importance in Canada 

 as a material for railway ties, and is used exten- 

 .sively for mining timbers. It is noted chiefly for 

 its strength and durability and the dimensions in 

 which it can be obtained. 



There are three hemlock species in Canada's 

 forests, two of which are valuable timber trees. 

 The eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is abun- 

 dant throughout its range in the eastern provinces, 

 but is not found west of the province of Ontario. 



The wood is used chiefly for rough, cheap con- 

 struction, especially house framing. It is fairly 

 .strong but has many objectionable features from 

 the woodworker's standpoint, being i-ough, hai^sh, 

 .splintery, and difficult to work. It is not durable 

 in contact with moisture, tjut supplies the demand 

 for a cheap, strong material for many purposes. 

 The wood is also used for railway ties, poles, 

 mining timber, pulpwood and fii'ewood. Its bark 

 is a valuable source of tannin. The western 

 hemlock has few of the objectionable technical 

 features of its eastern relative. This tree (T.suga 

 heterophylla) is found in Canada only in the 

 province of British Columbia, and is becoming- 

 more valuable each year as the prejudices due to 

 its name are overconie. The two trees in Canada 

 in 1914 yielded over eight per cent, of the total 

 lumber production of the country. 



There is only one balsanx fir in eastern Canada 

 (Abies balsaniea). The tree is found from 

 Labrador to Alaska, covering practically the same 

 geographical distriVjution as the white and black 

 spruces. Its wood is sawn into lumber to take 

 the place of more valuable woods for rough con- 

 structioii, as it has few technical qualities which 

 wovild recommend it for any other use as lumber. 

 The purpose for which the wood of this tree is 

 best suited is in the manufacture of wood pulp for 

 paper making. The tree, in nature, occurs mixed 

 with spruce, and it is cut and marketed with that 

 wood. Balsam fir has the requisite length and 

 toughness of fibre for pulp making, and in spite 

 of the fact that it gives a slightly lower yield of 

 pulp per cord and contains a higher percentage 

 of re.sin than spruce its use is increasing. In 1914 

 one-fourth of the pulI)^^ ood cut was of this species. 



There ai'e three western balsam fir species whose 

 wood is very similar to that of Abies balsamea. 

 The most important of these at present is pro- 

 bably the Alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa). Where 

 these western species are utilized their wood is 

 put to similar uses to those of the eastern species. 

 They are confined in their distribvition to the 

 Rocky ^Mountains and the Pacific Slopes. 



There are only two species of the genus Thuya, 

 commonly called " Cedar " in Canada. They are 

 both of great commercial importance, each in its 

 own region, as their ranges do not overlap. The 



wood of the cedars is the most durable of the 

 conifers of the Dominion. The ea.stern tree, 

 white cedar (Thuya occidentalis) is found froni 

 the Atlantic to the south-eastern part of 31anitoba. 

 It does not extend as far north as some of the 

 other conifers, and is nowhere very plentiful, being 

 confined to moist situations. The wood has 

 become so scarce in Eastern Canada that the 

 supply is not equal to the demand, and the market 

 for a light, durable wood is being partly filled by 

 imported cypress (Taxodium distichum) from the 

 .southern United States. Cedar is preferred to all 

 other native w oods for shingles and all structural 

 work exposed to moisture. In spite of the fact 

 that the wood is not strong, its great durability in 

 contact with the soil makes it a valuable railway 

 tie material. In 1914, this wood came second on 

 the list for railway ties purchased by Canadian 

 railways. It is used in enormous quantities both 

 locally and for export for fence-posts, and its use 

 for this purpose is largely responsible for the 

 increased scarcity of the lumber, as young trees 

 are used before they have time to reach .saw log 

 sizes. The western red cedar (Thuya plicata) is 

 one of the giants of the Pacific Coast, being only 

 surpassed in .size by Douglas fir. Its wood is 

 sawn into lumber of large dimensions and is made 

 into shingles to a greater extent than any other 

 wood in Canada. 



Birch is Canada's most important hardwood 

 and one of the few woods of this class where the 

 exported material exceeds that imported. There 

 are at least seven native species, but only two are 

 worthy of any detailed discussion. The yellow 

 birch (Betula lutea) is the source of the most valu- 

 able birch lumber used for flooring, furniture, 

 cabinet work and vehicle stock. The tree grows 

 only in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Pro- 

 vinces, and does not reach commercial dimensions 

 north of the height-of-land between the St. 

 Lawrence River and Hudson Bay. Its wood is 

 hard, heavy, strong and tough but is not durable 

 in contact with moisture. 



The paper birch (Betula alba var. papyrifera) 

 has a nxuch wider distribution and is more 

 abundant in its range, being common from the 

 Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains. Its wood is 

 softer, weaker and less durable than the yellow 

 birch, and is not at present of great commercial 

 value. It is usually considered as a " weed tree," 

 as it springs up with marvellous alacrity on 

 burned-over or cut-over areas. It has certain 

 qualities of toughness and compactness which 

 will in time win it a place among our nxore 

 important woods when these qualities are better 

 understood. The tough, resinous bark of this tree 

 has supplied the aborigines for centuries with the 

 material for covering their famous " birch bark 

 canoes." 



Of the three native tamarack or larch species, 

 two ai'e worthy of note. The eastern tamarack 

 (Larix laricina) is found in every province in the 

 Dominion in swampy situations. Its wood is 

 hard, strong and durable, being siniilar to that 

 of Douglas fir and the Southern hard pines. The 

 western larch (Larix occidentalis) is niore impor- 

 tant commercially. It is found only in British 

 Colunxbia, but grows on better sites and reached 

 greater size than the ea.stern tree. The wood of 

 these two species together is cut into luniber and 

 also used for railway ties, conaing third on the lis; 

 in 1914, and for mining timbers and fencing. 

 The maple, whose leaf is the national emblem 



