The Forest Resources of the Labrador Peninsula. 31 



can see it. In dense stands the lower branches are generally 

 festooned with "bearded moss" (Usnea harbata) which gives the 

 forest a most weird appearance. The wood is light and soft 

 but not strong. It is fairly stiff, however, and is used for masts, 

 spars and various small articles where a stiff wood is required. 

 In color it is a pale yellow-white, with thin sapwood, and in 

 cross-section shows thin resinous bands of small sumimer cells 

 and narrow conspicuous medullary rays. This explains why it 

 is so apt to split when nailed. The prevalence of knots also de- 

 tracts from its value as a saw-timber, but its long fibre makes it 

 an excellent timber for the manufacture of wood-pulp. Its fuel 

 value is 45, which shows it as good a fuel as chestnut, and better 

 than Box Elder {Acer negundo, L.) 



"Essence of spruce" is prepared by boiling the young branches 

 and evaporating the extract to the thickness of molasses. It has 

 a bitter astringent acid flavor, and is said to be a useful preven- 

 tive of scurvy. "Spruce beer" is made either from the " es- 

 sence," or by adding molasses or sugar to a decoction of the young 

 branches and allowing the whole to stand till it ferments. The 

 gum is often collected and used for the preparation of chewing 

 gum, whilst the pollen is frequently sold as Lycopodium powder. 



The white spruce {Pice a alba, Link) or cat spruce, occurs 

 throughout the wooded area of the peninsula, and prefers a well 

 drained soil ; being confined mostly to the areas of the re-arranged 

 drift of the river valleys and marine deposits along the coast, or 

 to the heavier drift of the Cambrian area of the interior. South 

 of the St. Lawrence watershed it is more widely distributed, and 

 is found on rocky hills at an elevation of 2 ,000 feet. It is a splendid 

 grower, and because of its long fibre is in great demand as a pulp 

 wood. It has a fairly coarse texture, and is tougher, stronger and 

 more elastic than pine. As our supplies of pine become exhaust- 

 ed, white spruce will largely take its place. Thus, whether we 

 regard it as the pulp-wood or the saw-timber of the future, it is 

 evident that it is one of the coming woods, and that it should be 

 carefully protected from fire and wasteful methods of lumbering. 

 At present it is used for railway ties, fence posts, telegraph and 

 telephone poles, piles and pulping purposes. It has a fuel value 

 of 40, and when absolutely dry, weighs 25^ pounds per cubic 

 foot. The Indians macerate the fine roots in water, and use 

 them to sew birch bark canoes, the seams being made water-tight 

 with resin. As lumber the black and white spruces are not sepa- 

 rated, and the red sprtice {Picea ntbeiis, Sargent) is often included 

 It is closely related to the black spruce, but is not as suitable for 

 spars and masts. As pulp-woods the black and white spruce 

 have been found to increase in value the farther north they 

 grow. The value of the growing spruce for the whole Domin- 

 ion is probably as great as that of all other trees combined, as 



