Planing Mill Products 51 
slightly resinous and capable of taking paints and oils, and 
stains well. It should be remembered, however, that white 
pine is falling off in quality, and that only a small proportion 
of it now comes from New York. 
Spruce is light, soft, straight-grained, of uniform growth, 
easily worked, and takes paint well. 
Hemlock was neglected in lumber operations for many years 
until the scarcity of other woods caused manufacturers to 
utilize this abundant species. It is used chiefly for construc- 
tion work, but it is also valuable for floor lining, siding, and 
panel work. . The wood is strong, straight-grained, and fairly 
hard. It finishes smoothly and works fairly well. Its tendency 
to splinter is one feature which has made it unpopular in com: 
parison with pine. 
With the steady shrinkage of the supply of northern species 
has come the increasing reliance upon southern and western 
species. The southern yellow pines — longleaf, shortleaf, and 
loblolly — constitute valuable materials for house construction. 
Longleaf wood is heavy, hard, very strong, straight-grained, 
compact, very resinous, and is highly desirable for flooring. 
For interior finish, ceiling, partition, and flooring, longleaf is 
extensively used where formerly high-grade hardwoods were 
largely employed. 
Shortleaf pine comes from the South Atlantic and Gulf 
States. It is particularly suited to interior finish and door con- 
struction on account of its fine grain and easy working quali- 
ties. The so-called North Carolina pine consists mainly of lob- 
lolly with an occasional small percentage of the other species 
of southern pine. : 
Bald cypress is of great commercial importance in Louisiana 
and throughout the southeastern United States. It is put to 
almost every use as an interior trim for houses and is finished 
in natural color or stained. Containing little resin, it affords 
a good surface for paint. It is much used for ceiling, wainscot- 
ing, panels, and to some extent for flooring. It shrinks and 
warps but little and is therefore used for drain boards, sinks, 
