1384 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



famed amongst the Canadian lumbermen as a tree yielding sound, strong, and lasting 

 timber; while red spruce produces softer wood, less durable "under exposure to the 

 open air, as is known from experience ; every year the red spruce poles have to 

 be replaced more frequently than the black in fences. 1 " 



Langelier 2 states that the black spruce is the prevailing coniferous tree in 

 northern Quebec, where the forests are estimated to be capable of supplying 

 400,000,000 cords of pulp wood. White spruce is less abundant in this region, but 

 attains a larger size, and is utilised for lumber, only the tops being converted into 

 pulp wood. In the southern section of the Abitibi territory white spruce attains 

 splendid dimensions over an area of 15,000,000 acres, and Mr. H. O'Sullivan has 

 seen trees over 100 ft. in height and 20 in. in diameter. Dr. Bell is quoted as 

 saying that " white spruce is perhaps the most valuable tree of the district. It grows 

 to a great size everywhere along the rivers and lakes, where it often girths upwards 

 of 6 ft. The timber is sound ; as a rule the trunks run to a great height, and in 

 every respect the white spruce ranks among the very best timber for the manufacture 

 of first-class saw-logs." 



J. M. Macoun, in Forest Wealth of Canada, says that the wood of the three 

 species is not separated commercially, and that they are used for the same purposes. 

 The black spruce is perhaps the best suited for masts or spars. Of the white spruce he 

 says that the wood is tougher, stronger, and more elastic than that of pine, and is very 

 largely used as lumber, and for railway ties, fence-posts, piles, and telegraph poles. 



The wood of these Canadian spruces now supplies the greater part of the 

 material used for pulp-making, which has recently become one of the great industries 

 of Canada. According to a paper on Pulp Wood in Canada, by George Johnson, 

 which was printed for the Minister of Agriculture at Ottawa in 1904, no less than 

 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 dollars are now invested in this manufacture ; and as it is 

 estimated that no less than 450,000,000 acres of land in Canada are covered more 

 or less densely with spruce which reproduces itself very rapidly when cut, there is no 

 risk of the supply failing. Great Britain and the United States are said to consume 

 about 900,000 tons of pulp wood annually, the product of about 90,000 acres. 



The black spruce is considered better than the white for this purpose and grows 

 mostly on the hills and rocky ground, whilst white spruce loves valleys, where there 

 is more soil. 



To show the rapid increase in the value of these timber lands it is stated that 

 in 1892 spruce limits were sold in the province of Quebec as low as eight dollars 

 per square mile, whereas in 1899 similar limits realised 150 dollars per mile, and the 

 price has risen higher lately. 



English papermakers are said to have found out that Canadian spruce pulp 

 makes a stronger and better newspaper than Scandinavian pulp ; and the immense 

 water-power of the Dominion makes both the transport of the logs and the manu- 

 facture cheaper than in most parts of Europe. (H. J. E.) 



1 Proc. Cattad. Inst. 1887, p. 169. * Report bth Meeting Canada Forestry Association, 1905, p. 65. 



