194 AMERICAN FOREST TREES 



inevitably perish if they fell upon such a bed of moss; but the seeds of 

 western hemlock germinate, and the rootlets strike through the moss 

 until they reach the soil beneath, and seedling trees are soon growing 

 vigorously. Seeds often germinate in the moss on logs and stumps, but 

 the roots strike for the ground, and generally reach it. In this habit the 

 western hemlock resembles the yellow birch of the East whose seeds seem 

 to germinate best on mossy logs and stumps. 



Western hemlock has one of the bad habits of its eastern relative : 

 it does not prune itself very well, even in dense forests, and the lumber is 

 apt to be knotty, but the knots are usually sound, though dark in color. 

 The wood of western hemlock is moderately light, but twenty per 

 cent heavier than eastern hemlock; stronger than the wood of other 

 American hemlocks, and nearly twenty-five per cent stronger than the 

 eastern commercial species, and nearly fifty per cent stiffen It is 

 tough and hard, but has little of the flinty texture of other hemlocks. 

 Its color is pale brown, tinged with yellow, the thin sapwood nearly 

 white. It is fairly durable in contact with the soil. Its growth is 

 usually rapid, and trees live to a great age. Some of the largest are 

 said to reach 800 years. The summerwood often constitutes half of 

 the yearly ring, and is dark yellow. The medullary rays are num- 

 erous and rather prominent. When cut radially, the appearance, size, 

 and arrangement of the exposed medullary rays suggest those of sugar 

 maple when exposed in the same way. 



The annual sawmill output of western hemlock is about 170,000,000 

 feet. The largest market for it is in the region where it grows, and it is 

 used as rough lumber for ranch purposes and for buildings in towns; but 

 a considerable quantity is further manufactured. About one-fourth of 

 the entire sawmill output goes to the factories of Idaho, Washington, and 

 Oregon. A list of the wood's principal uses in those states shows its 

 intrinsic value. The largest quantity is demanded by box factories. 

 The wood's nail-holding power commends it for that use, but of no less 

 importance is its strength. Eighty-three per cent of all the wood used 

 for boxes in Washington is western hemlock. Cooperage calls for much 

 of this wood also. Fruit and vegetable barrels are made of it. Its 

 place in furniture manufacture corresponds to that of the other hemlock 

 in the East. The pulp business is not very extensive on the Pacific coast, 

 but western hemlock is a respectable contributor. It is suitable for 

 burial boxes, and probably ranks about third among the woods within 

 its range, those used in larger amounts being Sitka spruce and western 

 red cedar. It is coming into use as interior finish, particularly as door 

 and window frame material. Fixture manufacturers employ it for 

 drawers and shelves. It is made into flooring, ceiling, molding, and 



