46 THE SCHOOL BOOK OF FORESTRY 



They even dried and ground the inner bark into 

 a flour which they used as a food. 



The northern sugar maple is another tree 

 which is a favorite in all sections where it is 

 grown. This tree yields a hard wood that is the 

 best and toughest timber grown in some localities. 

 The trees grow to heights of 75 to 100 feet and 

 attain girths of 5 to 9 feet. Maple lumber is stout 

 and heavy. It makes fine flooring and is used 

 in skating rinks and for bowling alleys. Many 

 pianos are made of maple. Wooden dishes and 

 rolling pins are usually made from maple wood. 

 During the spring of the year when the sap is 

 flowing, the average mature maple tree will yield 

 from fifteen to twenty gallons of sap in a period 

 of three to four weeks. This sap is afterwards 

 boiled down to maple syrup and sugar. 



Hemlock trees, despite the fact that they rank 

 among the most beautiful trees of the forest, 

 produce lumber which is suitable only for rough 

 building operations. The wood is brown and 

 soft and will not last long when exposed to the 

 weather. It cracks and splits easily because it 

 is so brittle. Hemlock is now of considerable 

 importance as pulpwood for making paper. For 

 many years, a material important for tanning 



