340 TIMBER AND TIMBER TREES. [CHAP. 



These spars are usually bought for the navy at a 

 price each, but for the private trade they are not un- 

 frequently sold at per foot run. 



Nothing is done to these trees after they are felled, 

 beyond removing the small branches, cutting off the top, 

 and making the ends even, to prepare them for the 

 market. They are, therefore, brought to us with the 

 bark on, and are measured over all. It is well, however, 

 to take the bark off if they are not required for im- 

 mediate use, otherwise they will suffer injury from the 

 attack of a small worm which after a few months 

 appears between the bark and the alburnum. 



The Spruce Fir has a further intrinsic value in 

 yielding a resinous fluid which constitutes the foundation 

 for the manufacture of pitch. The Spruce Firs are all 

 of very slow growth, and not so durable as Pine. 



The trade in foreign deals, battens, boards, &c., 

 from the countries in the North of Europe, is very 

 great, and there were imported into the United King- 

 dom, in 1874, 2,800,000 loads; in 1873, 2,450,000 

 loads; in 1872, about 2,300,000 loads; as compared 

 with 2,140,000 loads in 1871; 1,900,000 loads in 1870, 

 and 1,380,000 loads in 1866. Lai^e as these quantities 

 are, they seem likely to go on increasing, and will 

 probably continue to do so, until the supply is ex- 

 hausted. Sweden has contributed the larger portion of 

 these, Norway and Russia come next, and are nearly 

 alike in quantity; Prussia follows, and Finland supplies 

 least of all. 



To particularise and describe the various shades of 

 difference to be found in the quality of these deals, 

 battens, &c., would be next to impossible, drawn as 

 they are from so many ports of shipment in each of the 



