The SprvLces 



31 



The bark is thin and smooth, becoming flaky, with small ashy-brown scales. 

 On account of its thin bark it is very susceptible to fire damage. 



The leaves are ^ to % in. long and four-sided in cross-section. They are 

 sharp-pointed, pale blue-green in colour, and give out a very characteristic skunk- 

 like, pungent odour when crushed. They come out from all sides of the twig, but 

 are twisted and crowded to the upper side. As with all spruces, the leaves are with- 

 out stalks, but are borne on little spur-like projections of the twig. 



The cones are l}/^ to 2 in. long. The scales are narrow in proportion to their 

 length and very flexible and elastic. If a cone is crushed in the hand it will regain 



,^^^t::P 



/ippro^/mo/e nor//? err? //m//' 



of WHITE SPRUCE 



F. c<2noc/cns/\s 



its shape when released and not break as with the black spruce. The cone scales 

 are smooth on the margin and not ragged as those of the black spruce. The cones 

 do not remain long on the tree after the seed has fallen out of them but drop off 

 before the new crop of cones is produced. 



The white spruce extends across Canada from Labrador to Alaska. It occurs 

 west of the Rocky mountains in British Columbia and the Yukon but does not 

 reach the Pacific coast. 



It grows best on well-drained, moist, gravelly soil, but is not very exacting for 

 it is found on rocky slopes and borders of lakes and streams. It frequently occurs 

 in pure stands, but is often mixed with red and black spruce, tamarack, birch, and 

 aspen, and, in the foot-hills of Alberta, with Engelmann spruce. 



White spruce is the most important commercial tree in Canada, heading the 

 list in the production of both lumber and pulpwood. Owing to the wide distribu- 

 tion and abundance of the tree its lumber is gradually taking the place of pine, for 



