OUR IMPORTED CONIFEROUS TIMBERS. 241 



Norway pine has no doubt been applied to it under a mistaken 

 belief that it was the same species as that which occurs so 

 plentifully in Norway. The timber of Pinus resinosa is im- 

 ported into Britain under the trade name of American or 

 Canadian red pine, but the imports of this timber seem to 

 be on the decline, and at present it finds its principal market 

 in the western parts of the country. 



The spruce timber which we import from North America is 

 really the produce of two distinct species — viz., the white or 

 " single " spruce (Picea alba), and the black or double "spruce" 

 (Picea nigra) ; but the timbers of these two trees are not separated 

 commercially, and both are imported under the trade name of 

 American or Canadian spruce. These two species take the place 

 in America which the Norway spruce does in Europe, and their 

 timbers are imported for practically the same purposes as those for 

 which Baltic white-wood is employed ; but the mai'ket for Ameri- 

 can spruce, like that for American red pine, is confined chiefly 

 to the western parts of the country, 



Oregon pine, or, as it is sometimes called in the timber trade, 

 Columbia red-wood, is derived from a tree which is quite familiar 

 to us in Britain. This is the Douglas fir {Pseudotsuga Douglasii), 

 a tree which has been largely planted in this country, and which 

 gives promise of becoming a valuable timber tree here. The timber 

 of this tree is as yet imported in comparatively small quantities, 

 but it bids fair to take the place of Baltic red-wood for some 

 purposes. 



When the timber of the Californian red-wood (Sequoia semper- 

 virens) made its appearance in the home market some years ago, 

 it caused not a little sensation, but the hopes which were then 

 held out of its becoming important commercially, have not been 

 realised. It is still imported, but only to a limited extent, and its 

 ixse is practically restricted to internal finishing in high-class 

 buildings, and to some kinds of cabinetmaking. It is, however, 

 a wood of great beauty, and planks of it can be procured of very 

 large size ; and it is said to be very durable when placed in 

 contact with the ground. 



Under the popular name of "cedar" a number of timbers are 

 known, but very few of these have any connection with the true 

 cedars (Cedrus). The timber which is imported as pencil cedar 

 is really the produce of two species of juniper — viz., Juniperus 

 virginiana, the Virginian red cedar, and Junijjerus ber'niudiana, 



