The Trees of Vermont 219 



Hemlock 

 Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. 



Characteristics. — Bark thick, red-brown or grayish, deeply 

 divided into narrow, rounded, scaly ridges ; heartwood light red-brown, 

 ill-smelling, with thin, darker colored sapwood ; non-porous; growth 

 rings rather wide, distinct ; transition from spring wood to summer 

 wood abrupt; rays numerous, obscure, none of them fusiform; resin 

 ducts absent ; resin cells few in number, but prominent ; tracheids with- 

 out spirals. 



Qualities. — Rather light in weight, 26 pounds per cubic foot, 

 seasoned; soft; fairly strong; shrinkage 3 percent; warps little; 

 checks badly ; not durable when exposed ; coarse- and crooked-grained ; 

 difficult to work, because brittle and splintery ; splits easily, but holds 

 nails well. 



Uses. — Dimension materials, timbers, joints, rafters, plank walks, 

 laths, etc. 



Tamarack 

 Larix laricina (DuRoi) Koch 



Characteristics. — Bark red-brown, scaly, without ridges ; sap- 

 wood thin, nearly white ; heartwood russet-brown ; non-porous ; growth 

 rings rather broad and uniform, distinct; transition from spring wood 

 to summer wood more or less abrupt; rays inconspicuous, many of 

 them broadly fusiform, prominent and containing resin ducts; resin 

 ducts (vertical) few, widely scattered, without tyloses; resin cells 

 present near outer limit of summer wood ; tracheids mostly without 

 spirals. 



Qualities. — Weight medium, 39 pounds per cubic foot, seasoned ; 

 hardness medium; rather strong; shrinkage 3 percent; warps but little; 

 rather coarse-grained ; very durable in contact with the soil ; easy to 

 work ; splits readily. 



Uses. — Ship and boat timbers, telegraph poles, fence posts, rail- 

 road ties, etc. 



