33 



Table 19. Consumption of Redwood, year ending June, 1912. 



TAMARACK. 

 (Larix laricina). 



Pennsylvania marks the southern limit of the eastern species of tamarack. 

 Of the limited quantity of lumber used by the factories, a small per cent, was 

 from timbers cut in the extreme northwestern part of the State. It is dis- 

 tinctly a swamp tree, but the wood in its physical properties is similar to 

 southern pine, although it is claimed to be more durable. In quality it is 

 hard, dense, moderately heavy, strong, very stiff, moderately tough, elastic, 

 hard to split, difficult to work, non-resinof!s, and with an intermittent grain. 

 Only two industries in Pennsylvania reported the use of tamarack. It went 

 for parts in boat building and to the planing mills for finished material used 

 in house construction. 



BALSAM FIR. 

 (Abies balsamea.) 



Balsam fir is found growing in Pennsylvania, but being near the southern 

 limit of its range the trees are of small size and of little commercial value. 

 In the Lake states and in New England, as well as throughout the whole 

 of Canada, this tree grows in swamps, usually associated with tamarack, 

 black spruce, white cedar, etc. It appears also on the uplands, but it is 

 much less common. The wood is soft, weak, and perishable, but has long, 

 tough, colorless fibers, which make it valuable in paper manufacture. .Like 

 black spruce, its principal use is for pulp. 



In Canada ninety-five per cent, of this wood is said to be cut for this pur- 

 pose. The lumber serves many of the purposes for which spruce is de- 

 manded, but in Pennsylvania the planing mills were the only class of manu- 

 facturers reporting it. 



THE HARDWOODS. 



In the use of wood for making articles of final form a larger quantity of 



softwood is demanded than of hardwood; but the hardwoods meet a greater 



number of uses than softwoods and are more important as to distribution 



among the various industries. The hardwoods form about forty-five per 



3 



