ECONOMIC WOODS OF THE UNITED STATES 85 



2 W ithout clear demarcation in color between hearta ajjod-flrHd 

 sap wood. 



a Heartwood little , if an y darker than the sapwood . 



a^ Ray tracheids present. Hemlock. 



a^ Wood harsh and splintery ; often Imotty and cup 

 shaken; rather cross-grained and not easy to work. 

 Contrast between early and late wood very decided 

 (Plate II, Fig. 2); transition abrupt. Odor rancid. 

 Color lia:ht brown with slight reddish hue. Resin 

 cysts normally absent. 

 Eastern Hemlock. Tsuga canadensis Carr. (N). 



b^ Wood rather soft, not splintery ; usually clear, free 

 from shake; straight-grained; easy to work. Con- 

 trast between early and late wood less decided, and 

 transition more gradual than in preceding. ^Odorless 

 or somewhat sour. Color very pale brown with 

 pinkish hue to late wood^ Resin cysts otten present. 

 Western Hemlock. T. heterophylla Sarg. (P)." 



b' Ray tracheids absent.* Fir.^^ 



a? Wood light , soft, weak; growth rings often very 

 wide. Color white or straw, occasionally pale brow n 

 in old trees. White and Balsam Fir Group. Abies 

 fraseri Lindl. (S, Ay, Balsam Fir. balsamea Mill. (N)*- 

 Alpine Fir. lasiocarpa Nutt. (R) ; Lowland Fir. grandis - 

 Lindl. (P); White Fir. concolor Parry (P); amabilis^ 

 Forb. (P). ,-^3„,^ 



b^ Wood moderately tp very h eavy, hard, and strong. 

 Color brownis h red i n general appearance; early 

 wooiJ^traw^lored; late wood and rays with reddish 

 tinge. Red Fir Group. Noble Fir. A. nobilis Lindl. J 

 (P); Red Fir. magnifica Murr. (P). j 2 ^- "777 " 

 b Heartwood more deeply colored than the sapwood, fading 

 gradually outward. ' "" * 



a' Odorless "0^ slightly rancid; tasteless. Color widely 

 variable; yellowish, reddish, brown, variegated or 



* The occasional occurrence of ray tracheids in Abies balsamea has been 

 noted by Penhallow, North American Gymnosperms, p. 253. 



