THE WOODS OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 13 
when not exposed to alternations of drought and moisture, and is 
said to be impervious to the attacks of rats, and therefore used in 
the construction of granaries. Were its good qualities better 
known, its use would be more general. 
5, THE WHITE OR SINGLE SPRUCE (Abies alba, Michaux). 
This tree is larger and more slender than the black spruce, 
being distinguished by the lighter colour of its bark and leaves, 
On the Restigouche, Upper St John, and many other places, it 
grows toa great height with little taper. Mr J. A. M‘Callum, 
Deputy Surveyor, in 1873, had a tree cut down on the former 
stream above the Quatamkedguick, which made a log measuring 
14 inches at the butt, 10 inches at the top, and was 64 feet long. 
They have been cut 80 feet long, measuring 25 inches in diameter 
at the butt, and 18 inches at the top. 
White spruce is found in valleys, growing to a very large size, 
skirting streams, and in small clumps on the sides and tops of 
hills. The yield of white spruce land will not compare with that 
of black, as the former tree is much more scattered in its growth. 
The wood is white and soft, and generally free from knots. Its 
specific gravity is less than that of the black spruce, to which it 
is inferior in strength, and exhibits less elasticity. The spruce 
deals shipped from the Nepisiguit and Restigouche rivers are 
nearly all manufactured from this tree. 
6. THE BLACK OR DOUBLE SPRUCE (Abies nigra, Michaux). 
As an article of export, this is the most valuable tree of New 
Brunswick. The vast forests of black spruce which once covered 
the Province have been reduced by fire and cutting to less than 
one-third of their original extent. This tree was found in greatest 
abundance in the southern part of New Brunswick. A _ line 
drawn from the first Eel River Lake, extending north-east to the 
dividing ridge between the Little South-West Miramichi and 
the Nepisiguit, is about the boundary of the great black spruce 
lands of the Province. South of this line vast forests of it ex- 
tended from the Schoodic, crossing the Nashwaak and South-West 
Miramichi, thence to the north-west branch of the last-named 
river, where it ended. North of this line the tree growth is 
generally hardwood, largely mingled with firs. Such spruce as 
occurs along the shores of streams or scattered on the hill sides 
is principally of the white variety. 
