30 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Builders of aern- 



whieh are nearly twice as heavy. Thus, to a oertaiii extent, it is 

 .in exception to the general law of timber physics that the strength 

 of woods are proportioned to their dry weight. 

 planes in this coun- 

 try and elsewhere 

 s e. 1 e c t spruce for 

 frames and propel- 

 lers, because ex- 

 treme lightness and 

 great strength are 

 demanded. For the 

 same reason it is 

 hearly always used 

 for canoe i^addles. 

 ^nd frequently for 

 oars, ladders, flag- 

 staffs, vaulting 

 poles, and decking 

 for light boats. 



As material for 

 sounding boards of 

 musical instruments, 

 spruce has no equal, 

 not even a competi- 

 tor. Its extraordi- 

 narily high qualities 

 for that exacting 

 use are due to the 

 mechanical s t r u c- 

 ture of the wood. 

 Its fibres are long, even, regular. It is a homogeneous wood, alike 

 in all its parts. The continuity of its fibres is not broken up by 



r.LACK SPRUCE LOGS, SIIOWIXG CHAEACTEEISTIC FORM OF TRUNK 



bands and streaks of hard and soft, or dense and porous wood. 

 Its finely balanced elements take up and intensify vibrations set 

 in motion by the strings of musical instruments. Age and long use 



improve the reso- 

 nant qualities of 

 this extremely re 

 sponsive and sensi- 

 tive wood. The 

 spruce which has 

 served for a hun- 

 dred years in a high 

 class violin is ■worth 

 more than its 

 weight in gold. Like 

 the finest wines, it 

 grows richer with 

 age. 



American spruce 

 supplies the sound 

 ing boards of th(^ 

 world 's pianos. 

 Spruce has been 

 ]ilanted and lum- 

 bered in Europe for 

 generations; b u t 

 when the piano 

 manufacturer on the 

 other side of the 

 water wants the 

 best material on 



earth for sounding boards, he sends to America for it and he buys 

 Ihe Sitka, the red, the black, or the white. They are all alike in one 



LARGE .SITKA SPRUCE TREE AND i?TUJIP. OREGON 



