116 ELEMENTARY WOODWORKING 



The wood is not as valuable as pine, splitting very 

 easily and being afflicted with shakes, a defect caused 

 by the annual layers or rings breaking away from each 

 other when the trees are swayed by the winter storms. 

 The bark is valuable, however, as it is rich in tannin. 



63. Spruce. The tall, dark, cone-shaped evergreen 

 trees which ornament so many of our old farm door- 

 yards are usually some species of spruce. The spruce 

 is sometimes mistaken for the balsam fir, which is so 

 commonly used for Christmas trees, but they are so 

 different that they need never be confused. 



There are several varieties of spruce, including the 

 red, black, white, and Norway, but they all bear a family 

 resemblance. 



Looking at the end of a spruce twig, it will be found 

 that the needles completely surround it. This is not 

 true of the fir. Then the spruce needles are sharp at 

 the tip, while the fir needles are blunt. 



This family is distinctly a northern group, being 

 found as far north as Hudson Bay and forming dense 

 forests, particularly on mountain sides. One may often 

 see on the steep slopes the dividing line between the 

 broad-leaved trees and the evergreens, the dark spruces 

 extending clear up to the summit. 



The red spruce is found as far south as Tennessee, 

 but in that latitude it grows only at high elevations. 



