CHAPTER XXIX. 



NORTHERN Vl^Ys— {Continued). 



SWEDISH FIR {Pinus sylvestris) 



Is, as its name indicates, a native of Sweden, where it 

 is very abundant, and attains, under favourable circum- 

 stances, a height of from 50 to 80 feet, with a circum- 

 ference of from 4 to 5 feet ; it yields timber in logs of 

 20 to 35 feet in length by 10 to 16 inches square. 

 From the smaller trees, deals 3 inches thick, by 7 to 9 

 inches broad, and 12 feet and upwards in length, are 

 obtained. 



The wood is of a yellowish-white colour, soft, clean 

 and straight in the grain, with only small knots, and 

 very little alburnum or sap-wood on it. Of late it has 

 been in great request for common building purposes, as 

 it is considerably cheaper than Dantzic or Riga Fir 

 timber. 



Swedish Fir is liable to the heart and star- 

 shakes, and not unfrequently the cup-shake. On this 

 account it is not suitable for conversion into board 

 for joiners' work, but only for the rougher and more 

 ordinary works in building operations. This species 

 of Fir is of very slow growth, and, during the early 

 stage of its existence, it makes wood at only about 



