BALSAM FIR. 



19 



WEIGHT PEE CORD OF BALSAM FIE AND SPRUCE. 



In order to ascertain roughly the weight of a cord of green and dry- 

 balsam and spruce pulpwood, five balsam firs and five spruces were 

 felled, and three sections, each equal to a quarter of a cubic foot, 

 were taken from the bottom, base of the crown, and top of each tree, 

 and their weights determined at the time of cutting, and agaui two 

 weeks and three weeks later. From these weights the average weight 

 of 1 cubic foot of green and half-seasoned spruce and balsam wood 

 was obtained. At the same time balsam and spruce were piled sepa- 

 rately, and the actual cubic contents of solid wood in a cord deter- 

 mined. By multiplying the average weight of 1 cubic foot of green 

 and half-seasoned balsam and spruce by the number of cubic feet of 

 sohd wood in a cord the weight of 1 cord of green and half-seasoned 

 balsam and spruce pulpwood was obtained. From figures for weight 

 per cubic foot given by Prof. C. S. Sargent, the weight of 1 cord of 

 air-dry balsam and spruce was determined, respectively, as 2,252 and 

 2,662 pounds. The results of the different weighings are presented 

 in Table 4. 



Table 4. — WeigJU per cubic foot of spruce mid balsam Jlr. 





No. of tree. 



Green 



(Sept. 5). 



Half seasoned 



(Sept. 26j. 





Spruce. 



Balsam. 



Spruce. 



Balsam. 



I 



Pounds. 

 49.00 

 50.75 

 44.75 

 51.00 

 44.25 



P minds. 

 52.00 

 52.25 

 55.00 

 51.25 

 46.00 



Pounds. 

 35.25 

 30.75 

 30.50 

 35.00 

 32.00 



Pounds. 

 37.06 



n 



36.25 



ni 



37. 75 



IV . ... 



34.00 



V - -- 



32.00 





Average weight per cubic foot 



Average weight per cord 







48.15 

 4,543.00 



51.30 

 4,858.00 



32.70 

 3,094.00 



35.41 

 3,354.00 







Thus, balsam weighs about 7 per cent more than spruce when green 

 and 18 per cent less when dry. The sections taken from the butts 

 of the trees weighed the least; the sections from the tops were the 

 heaviest, due undoubtedly to the proportionately greater amount of 

 sap and larger numbei of knots m the tops. Pulpwood never becomes 

 entirely dry in the woods, and though by the time balsam is drawn 

 to the river it loses about 30 per cent of its weight, it is still probably 

 from 5 to 6 per cent heavier than spruce. 



MEASURING PULPWOOD. 



In the Adirondacks pulpwood is now measured almost exclusively 

 by the cord. A cord contains 128 cubic feet of stacked wood, repre- 

 sented by a stack 4 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 8 feet long. In order 



