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Cornell Junior Extension Bulletin 26 



7. HEMLOCK 

 Hemlock Spruce 



(Tsuga canadensis (Linnaeus) Carriere) 



Hemlock is a valuable forest tree very Avidely distributed throughout 

 the State, particularly common on northern exposures, shaded gorges, 

 steep mountain slopes, and borders of deep swamps. The wood is light, 

 not strong, coarse-grained, brittle, not durable, splinters easily, and is 



HEMLOCK 



Branchlet and cone, natural size 



light brown in color. It is largely manufactured into construction lum- 

 ber and is also in demand for mechanical pulp. 



Bark — Reddish to grayish brown in color, with shallow, broad con- 

 necting ridges ; inner bark bright cinnamon red in color. The high-tan- 

 nin content of the bark is of commercial value in tanning leather. 



Twigs — slender, yellowish to grayish brown in color, rough when 

 needles are shed. 



Winter buds' — very small, reddish brown in color, not resinous-coated. 



Leaves — borne singly, twisting to appear 2-ranked with a third row 

 pointing forward on top of the twig; with distinct short stalk, flat, % 

 inch long, rounded or notched at the apex, dark green in color above, 

 pale below with 2 white lines, persistent from two to three years. 



Fruit — a cone, stalked, pendant, % inch long, ripening in one year, 

 grayish brown in color when mature, falling during the winter following 

 maturity, ('our scales — with rounded entire margins. Seeds — in pairs, 

 winged, light brown in color, 1/16 inch long, ripening in September. 



