THE GIANT ARBOR-VITiE. 345 



timber is perfectly sound and well fitted for constructive pur- 

 poses. 



For making large pillars or columns it is peculiarly well suited, 

 being so even of grain, susceptible of a nice polish, and of a most 

 desirable rich colour ; qualities which were well set forth in the 

 Exhibition by the large and beautifully carved posts which once 

 ornamented the Indian villages of the Queen Charlotte Islands. 



In No. 1 Museum at Kew there are some interesting specimens 

 of the wood, including a stave and several sections, as well as a 

 hat, shawl, and mat made from the fibrous bark. This fibre of 

 the inner bark is largely used by the Indian tribes for making 

 articles of dress, ropes, and mats. 



It is premature to speak of the value of the timber of Thuja 

 gigantea produced in this country, as sufficient time has not 

 elapsed since the tree was introduced for the timber to become 

 matured. We have, however, used the timber of trees of thirty 

 years' growth, and, on comparing it with that produced in its 

 native habitat, the differences were few indeed ; the same yellowish 

 tinge and compact though light nature being quite apparent in the 

 home-grown wood. A friend who cultivated this tree largely on 

 an estate in the north of Ireland, and who has used the wood, 

 tells us that it is " firm and of good quality, quite upholding the 

 published descriptions of foreign-grown timber of the same kind." 



Judging by present appeai-ance, and the many uses to which 

 it is applied in its native country, there can be little doubt that 

 the timber grown in the British Isles will be of excellent quality, 

 and when produced in sufficient quantity will be largely used in 

 the arts and manufactures. 



The headquarters of this tree. Professor Macoun tells us, may 

 be said to be the north-west coast of the United States. In the 

 Columbia valley it forms vast forests, and in the valley of the 

 Beaver it attains large dimensions, specimens 150 feet in height, 

 with a diameter of 10 feet, being not at all uncommon. At an 

 altitude of 6000 feet, along the line of the Canadian Pacific 

 Railway, it occurs as a mere shrub, but gradually increases in size 

 as it descends the hills, until in the fertile valleys it attains to full 

 dimensions, with beautifully straight and clean stems that ai'e 

 branchless for nearly half their height. 



Ornamental Qualities. — As an ornamental tree, Thuja gigantea 

 is well worthy of attention, the bright green graceful foliage being 

 pleasing in the extreme, imparting to the tree a contour that is 



