116 ELEMENTARY WOODWORKING 
The wood is not as valuable as pine, splitting very 
easily and being afflicted with shakes, a defect caused 
by the annual layers or rmgs breaking away from each 
other when the trees are swayed by the winter storms. 
The bark is valuable, however, as it is rich in tannin. 
63. Spruce. The tall, dark, cone-shaped evergreen 
-trees which ornament so many of our old farm door- 
yards are usually some species of spruce. The spruce 
is sometimes mistaken for the balsam fir, which is so 
commonly used for Christmas trees, but they are so 
different that they need never be confused. 
There are several varieties of spruce, including the 
red, black, white, and Norway, but they all bear a family 
resemblance. 
Looking at the end of a spruce twig, it will be found 
that the needles completely surround it. This is not 
true of the fir. Then the spruce needles are sharp at 
the tip, while the fir needles are blunt. 
This family is distinctly a northern group, being 
found as far north as Hudson Bay and forming dense 
forests, particularly on mountain sides. One may often 
see on the steep slopes the dividing line between the 
broad-leaved trees and the evergreens, the dark spruces 
extending clear up to the summit. 
The red spruce is found as far south as Tennessee, 
but in that latitude it grows only at high elevations. 
