THE EVERGREENS 117 



It has cones about one and a half inches long, and its 

 wood is light, soft, and close-grained. The wood is used 

 for the sounding-boards of musical instruments and for 

 the frames of buildings. 



The black spruce is the northern brother of the red, 

 and is really a Canadian tree which occasionally reaches 

 down into the United States. It reaches the Mackenzie 

 River on the north and covers large areas in Manitoba. 



It takes its name from the dark, 

 somber color of its foliage, which seems 

 almost black against the snowy hill- 

 sides. 



The cones are the same size as on the 

 red spruce, but they persist in remaining 

 on the tree for several years. The wood 

 is soft and weak and is used for sound- 

 ing-boards, pulp, and light framing for FlG - 126 - Black 



Spruce 



houses. 



The white spruce is similar to the other two, but 

 lighter in color, cones a trifle longer and softer, and 

 needles more slender. It is a northern tree ; its wood 

 is very white and clear-grained, and is used for finish- 

 ing the interior of houses. 



Norway spruce, as its name implies, is an importa- 

 tion from Europe, where its majestic height graces the 

 mountains from the Alps to Norway and Sweden. It 



