•"55 S NOTES ox r.lUTTSII FOREST TREES. 



in;iy hv possil)l(' to romovc (lie witches' l)rooin Ijefnrc llie stem 

 lias l)ecoinp infected. 



15. Common ok Norway Spruck = Picca cxcclm (Link.). 

 o. llillln. 



Tlie timber of the spruce is light, with an average specific 

 gravity of '45 ; soft and splits well : somewhat more durable 

 than that of silver fir. It is known in fjritain as white ]^)altic 

 pine, the principal tree of the European timber trade, and 

 used for a great variety of purposes, chiefly in the shape of 

 boards, planks, and scantlings. The timber grown in Britain 

 is frequently of inferior quality, owing to its rapid growth in 

 insufficiently stocked woods. It yields a fair fuel, and is used 

 for the manufacture of paper. The bark is used for tanning. 

 The tree yields turpentine. 



//. l)isiribi<tioii. 

 The spruce is found naturally in Europe from the 68th degree 

 of latitude down to the Alps, at about 44°. It is a tree of the 

 mountains, being found up to an elevation of 0,000 feet in 

 the Alps. On proceeding north it gradually descends, until 

 it is found near the sea shores of the Baltic as a tree even 

 of the low lands. Nevertheless, in Norway it rises still to a 

 height of nearly 3,000 feet. The tree has i)een inti-oduced 

 far beyond its natural limit. It is said to have been first 

 planted in Britain in 1548 (Brown). 



r. Liirtiliti/. 



L'liiuaic. — Spruce requires relatively little heat ; it stands 

 a considerable amouni. of winter frost, but it is some- 

 what tender as regards late frosts, though not nearly so 

 much as silver fir. It is very tender in respect of drought. 

 It is a shade bearing tree, standing, amongst conifers, next 

 to silver fir, though the latter bears considerably more 

 shade. The beech, also, is more shade bearing than the 



