NOTES ON WESTERN RED CEDAR. 8r 



Douglas fir and hemlock spruce, has slower growth in both height 

 and diameter. Height-growth in its native habitat is most rapid 

 before the 30th year, but is sustained steadily for 200 years or 

 more. Its mean annual volume-growth does not reach its 

 maximum until after the 150th year and in partially suppressed 

 stands not until after its 200th year. 



Utilisation. — This is the subject to which the query specially 

 refers. The wood of red cedar is soft with usually a straight, 

 even rather coarse, grain. The timber is not suitable for heavy 

 construction work, but because of its light weight and durability 

 it finds a large field of usefulness. The wood is light, soft, close 

 grained (when grown in close stands), durable and easy to handle 

 and work. A cubic foot weighs only about 2t^\ lbs. It is 

 remarkably free from warping, shrinking, and swelling, the 

 straight grain makes it easy to split, and its soft texture makes 

 it one of the easiest to work. The wood has a slight aroma, 

 pleasing and attractive, but it is perfectly free from pitch. For 

 exposure to weather or in contact with damp soil it is unsur- 

 passed. Great durability under all sorts of exposure is one of 

 its more important commercial qualities. Young timber supplies 

 large quantities of fence posts, telegraph and telephone poles. 

 No one in North America would use any other timber for fencings 

 if they can afford it at all; and I have often wondered why it 

 was not grown in larger quantity in this country for this purpose 

 alone. Of course, in America, it is largely used for shingles. 

 Japan is shipping so much timber in squares and logs at the 

 present time that a number of the shingle mills have had to shut 

 down. 



Uses. — Bevel siding (and drop) ; finish ; flooring, ceiling and 

 corrugated decking; common and shop lumber; sleepers for 

 light traffic; tanks; porch columns; sashes and doors; shop 

 fixtures ; furniture, bottoms, drawers, cabinets, frames, panels ; 

 chests ; patterns — cedar has few superiors here ; veneers ; boat 

 building ; car construction, finish, roofing, siding ; for hot-houses, 

 conservatories and incubators — it has few equals. 



These are a few of the uses of western red cedar. Of course, 

 it has its largest use as poles (telegraph and telephone), fence 

 posts, and any other use that requires durability under all sort 

 of conditions, and it is being utilised more and more each year 

 for such purposes. 



VOL. XXXVI. PART I. F 



