[1853 



PRODUCTIONS OP THE OTTAWA. 



115 



a means still resorted to by the Aborigines of many continents 

 and Oceanic Isles. At all events, there is little doubt that the 

 first Fuel consisted of Wood, however questionable the means by 

 which fire was first obtained, and it is quite certain that it was 

 used as such, even at the most remote periods. 



EVERGREEN TREES. PINES. 



RED PINE. 



Pinus Resinosa, Pin Rouge. 



Is a large handsome Tree with scaly red bark. Its timber 

 enters largely into commerce, and is fine grained, and of close 

 texture ; it is shipped in the form of squared logs, and as well un- 

 dressed as Spare for Masts and Yards, for which purposes it is in 

 great request ; some deals are also manufactured from this wood ; 

 From its superior strength it is used for rafters in England, arid 

 is well adapted for supporting the slate and tile roofs of Britain, 

 and owing to the great distance Lumberers have to go in search 

 of it, it brings the highest price in the market. By far the 

 largest quantity of Red Pine is derived from the Ottawa, and on 

 the banks of some of its tributaries, large tracts of sandy land 

 are entirely covered with it. It constitutes the only open Wooded 

 Tree in Canada. 



WHITE PINE. 



Pinus Strobun, Pin Blanc. 



This is the commonest and most majestic of all our Pines; 

 it towers over all the other trees of the Fores*, and attains a very 

 great size. When growing in open situations, it is often feather- 

 ed down to the ground, and when loaded with its large pendu- 

 lous cones, assumes a very beautiful and picturesque appearance. 

 White Pine is easily wrought, comparatively free from knots, 

 and very durable. Its timber is most in demand for ordinary 

 domestic purposes, a fact fully demonstrated by the tens of 

 thousands of Logs, we see everywhere about our Saw Mills. 

 From its superior size and lightness the lower masts of Ships are 

 generally made of it, and its possessing the property of not split- 

 ting by the sun, fits it for their decks. This wood is our most 

 extensive article of commerce, and is shipped in the shape of 

 Masts, Planks, Boards, Shingles, Laths, and Squared Logs. This 

 is one of the trees which furnish the Gum with which the In- 

 dians pay over the seams of their Canoes. 



PITCH PINE. 



Pinus Rigida. 

 Is the most symmetrical and beautiful of all the family of Pines, 

 although it seldom attains a great size, and never thrives except 

 on the most arid and sandy soils. As its name indicates, it is 

 chiefly employed for making Pitch. It is an extremely rapid 

 growing tree, and exists in large quantities at Sandy Point, Tor 

 bolton, and although every tree on this locality was destroyed by 

 fire about ten years since, they have been reproduced in numbers 

 and of sizes already, which, but for the indisputable evidence of 

 the neighbouring Farmers, could scarcely be believed. Tar and 

 Lampblack are largely manufactured from this tree, in Vermont, 

 by a very simple process. The knots being incorruptible, are 

 found abundantly in groves of this pine, which are collected and 

 piled upon a stone hearth, covered with sods and earth, and set 

 on fire, the heat soon expels the Tar, which runs down a groove 

 cut in the stone for that purpose. The Lampblack is only the 

 condensed smoke of the same fire collected in large Wooden 

 Troughs. The only purpose this wood is converted to when 

 worked, is Pump-making. 



SPRUCES. 



Hemlock Spruce, Abies Canadensis, Prucfie. 

 This tree is exceedingly abundant throughout Canada. It is 



a noble species rising to 80 or 100 feet, and measuring often 

 from 2 to 3 feet in diameter. It is of slow growth, and is sup- 

 posed to require 200 years to attain its full size. When from 25 

 to 30 years old, its appearance is exceedingly elegant, but when 

 older its large broken limbs detract from its symmetry and beauty, 

 and the naked stumps of the old limbs give the tree an appear- 

 ance of decrepitude and decay. The wood is not of great value, 

 and is chiefly employed for lathes and coarse indoor work. The 

 bark is very valuable as a substitute for Oak Bark in Tanning, 

 and is that almost exclusively employed in our Tanneries. A 

 decoction of its bark is used as a sudorific, whilst a fomentation 

 made by boiling its branches, is considered by Shantymen to be 

 a Panacea for Rheumatism, and all sorts of swellings, and the 

 " Sovereign'st thing on earth for a green wound." 



BLACK SPRUCE. 



Abies Nigra, Epinette Noir. 

 Is a native of the most inclement portions of our continent, 

 growing most densely, and presenting a very sombre appearance ; 

 and as large tracts of country are frequently covered exclusively 

 with this tree, it has gained for them the appellation of Black 

 Wood Lands. It is remarkable for the regularity and symmetry 

 of its branches, which taper in the most beautiful pyramidal man- 

 ner from the base to the summit. The timber is of great value, 

 and is used from its straightness, lightness and elasticity, for the 

 yards of Ships, and to " bend likea Black Spruce topmast" is a 

 common saying amongst Sailors ; it is also used fot the kne s of 

 Ships and other craft. From it is extracted the Essence of 

 Spruce, so well known for its Antiscorbutic properties, and so 

 largely employed in the manufacture of Spruce Beer. Large 

 quantities of this timber are annually shipped off from Quebec, 

 chiefly for the Irish market. 



BALSAM SPRUCE. 



Silver Fir, Abies Balsimca, Sapin. 



This is a beautiful ever-green tree, rising in a pyramidal shape, 

 from 30 to 40 feet. In open and cultivated grounds it becomes 

 feathered down to the bottom, it is consequently much in demand 

 as an Ornamental Tree. It is this tree which furnishes the Gum 

 de Sapin, or Canadian Balsam, sold largely as a substitute for and 

 under the name of Balm of Gilead, an article of Eastern produc- 

 tion, and which brings a high price in the market. It is also 

 the chief ingredient in several descriptions of Varnish, and par-" 

 ticularly valuable for preparing a transparent limpid varnish for 

 water colour paintings. 



It is the branches and leaves of this tree which furnish the 

 Lumberer with a rude and primitive bed, when far removed 

 from the abodes of man, hunting up Timber-groves in the forest. 



RED CEDAR. 



Juniper Virginiana, Cedar Rouge. 



The Canadian Red Cedar is identical with the Bermuda Ce- 

 dar, which is so largely employed by the pencil makers. It 

 grows from Cedar Island, Lake Champlain, to as far south as the 

 Gulf of Mexico. It attains a height of about 60 feet; grows on 

 the most sterile regions, and may frequently be seen springing 

 out of the crevices of rocks growing most luxuriantly without any 

 apparent nourishment. In this section of the country it is not 

 applied to any particular use, but in the western district is largely 

 used for fence rails. There is a peculiarity connected with this 

 tree, which, although very ornamental, never produces two speci- 

 mens alike, that is two trees of the same shape. A resinous gum 

 called Gum Sandarach is obtained from the Red Cedar, which, 

 when pulverized is known under the name of Pounce, and used 

 as an absorbent of ink, and to prevent its spread 'ng over the 



