6 BULLETIN 544, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



According to the census, 1 the rej^orted production of spruce lumber 

 remained practically stationary during the 10 years prior to 1909. 

 The. cut of 1909 was only slightly greater than that of 1907, and had 

 the 1907 canvass been as complete it is probable that the 1907 pro- 

 duction would have been found the greater, which indicates that the 

 production of spruce lumber had then already passed its maximum. 

 This assumption is borne out by subsequent figures, shice in 1910 

 there were but 1,449,912,000 board feet produced, in 1913 but 

 1,046,816,000 board feet, in 1914 but 1,245,614,000 board feet, and 

 in 1916 but 1,129,750,000 board feet. 



In the consumption for pulp in 1907 spruce showed a decline in 

 amount and in proportion to the other woods used. In 1910 there 

 was a still further decline, followed by a slight recovery in 1911 to 

 not quite so much as was consumed in 1909. In 1914 there was an 

 increase over 1909 spruce pulpwood consumption of approximately 

 10 per cent with a total of 2,665,974 cords of which 1,957,487 cords 

 was domestic spruce. By 1916 this gain amounted to approximately 

 30 per cent with a total of 3,143,793 cords of which 2,399,993 cords 

 was domestic spruce. In both years the consumption of imported 

 spruce was below that in 1909, which had to be made good by the 

 domestic spruce supply. This was done at the expense of spruce 

 lumber production which in 1909 made up 63 per cent of the com- 

 bined total of pulp and lumber supplied by domestic spruce which 

 in 1914 was but 56 per cent and in 1916 only 48 per cent. Notwith- 

 standing this material increase in consumption of spruce for pulp the 

 combined total of pulp and lumber supplied by domestic spruce 

 decreased from 2,575,172,000 board feet in 1909 to 2,224,358,000 

 board feet in 1914 and 2,329,747,000 board feet in 1916. It is very 

 evident that spruce lumber production was curtailed and a larger 

 percentage of this high-grade material put into pulp notwithstanding 

 that during the last two years European buyers of American forest 

 products have increased their orders for spruce for all purposes 

 abroad. Its accessibility in the east and its general all-round prop- 

 erties, including lightness, have made it much in demand. 



In the use of spruce for slack cooperage and veneers in 1909 there 

 was also a decrease, while in the number of railroad ties there was 

 an increase due to the increasing use of chemical preservatives which 

 made the less durable woods, such as spruce, more largely available 

 for this purpose. 



1 Forest Products of the United States, 1909, Bureau of the Census in Cooperation with the Forest Ser-i ice, 

 Government Printing Office, 1911. This contains the latest complete enumeration covering minor as well 

 as major forest products, which accounts for its use here in place of more recent data covering but a part 

 of the field. 



