158 AMERICAN FOREST TREES 



the highest trees, and when they fall to the ground he pulls them apart 

 with his feet and teeth, and the seeds pay him for his pains. If cones 

 ripen on the trees and the released seeds sail away, there are birds of 

 various feather waiting to receive them. Consequently, the noble fir 

 plants comparatively few seeds. Their ratio of fertility is low at best, 

 but that is partly compensated for by the large numbers produced. 



Thick stands of noble fir are not common. It generally is found, a 

 few trees here and there, mixed with other species. Sawmills find it 

 unprofitable to keep the lumber separate from other kinds. It does not 

 pay to do so for two reasons. Extra labor is required to handle it in 

 that way, and there is a prejudice against fir lumber. It does not appeal 

 to buyers. For that reason some operators have called this timber 

 Oregon larch, and have sent it to market under that name. That is a 

 trick of the trade which has been put into practice many times and with 

 many woods. The purpose in the instance of noble fir was to pass it for 

 the larch which grows in the northern Rocky Mountain region. The 

 two woods are so different that no person acquainted with one would 

 mistake it for the other. A recent government report of woods used for 

 manufacturing purposes in Washington does not list a foot of noble fir. 

 The inference is that it must be going to factories under some other name, 

 for it is incredible that this wood should be put to no use at all in the 

 region of its best development. 



Noble fir is of slow growth, and the large trunks are very old, the 

 oldest not less than 800 years. The summerwood forms a narrow, dark 

 band in the annual ring. Medullary rays are numerous, but very thin 

 and inconspicuous. The wood possesses little figure. It weighs twenty- 

 eight pounds per cubic foot, which is four pounds less than the average 

 Douglas fir. It is very low in fuel value, as softwoods usually are which 

 have little resin. It is very weak, and it bends easily. It is soft, easily 

 worked, and polishes well. This is one of its most valuable qualities. 

 It is deficient in a number of properties which are desirable in wood, but 

 partly makes up for them in its ability to take a smooth finish. It is 

 pale brown, streaked with red, the sapwood darker. In that particular 

 it is unusual, for most softwoods have sap lighter in color than the heart. 



It has been already pointed out that difficulty is met when an 

 attempt is made to list the uses of noble fir, because it loses its name 

 before it leaves the sawmill yard and takes the name of some other 

 wood, and those who put it to use often do so without knowing what the 

 wood really is. It is known that some of it is manufactured into 

 house siding. It works nicely and looks well, but since it is liable to 

 quick decay it must be kept well painted when it is exposed to weather. 

 It serves as interior finish, and this seems to be one of its best uses. It is 



