THE TIMBER SUPPLY. 7 



white pine, yet since most of the forest region under consideration 

 is about 1,200 feet, pine may be left out of consideration. Spruce 

 is abundant everywhere and extends to timber line. Balsam fir is 

 found usually in mixture, forming from 1 to 20 per cent of the stand. 

 Unless otherwise stated, spruce in this report includes both spruce 

 and fir, as both are used for paper pulp, and to a less extent for saw 

 logs, and the product is sold as spruce. A belt of hemlock extends 

 around the mountains on the lower slopes, and at the north white 

 cedar is found in fair quantity. Of the hardwoods yellow and paper 

 birch are the most abundant and valuable, followed by maple, beech, 

 and aspen or popple. 



SPRUCE. 



Vast areas of spruce once spread over the mountains in unbroken 

 stands, but uncut areas are now somewhat rare. Because of its 

 shallow root system it finds sustenance on the thin soils of swamps 

 and on high slopes. The best growth appears in mixture with hard- 

 woods at elevations from 1,200 to 2 5 000 feet. In such places there 

 is generally left a sufficient forest cover when the spruce is removed. 

 Above 2,000 feet it occurs in almost pure stands up to 3,500 feet, 

 which is the limit of its commercial range. . On these higher slopes 

 its removal is usually followed sooner or later by disastrous fires, 

 which in turn are followed by erosion and rapid run-off of water into 

 the streams. Uncut, the spruce forest forms a characteristic feature 

 in the mountain landscape. 



Spruce wood has many uses. It is used in the manufacture of 

 paper, especially news paper, and of that cut in the northeastern 

 States almost two-thirds is used for this purpose, although in north- 

 ern New Hampshire a smaller proportion, about one-half, is so used. 



A few of the best butt logs are used in the manufacture of piano 

 sounding boards and cases. One plant that employs 350 men is 

 devoted chiefly to this business. There are a few mills that saw for 

 this purpose only. 



Spruce is also used in the manufacture of lumber, both dimension 

 and finishing materials. With the disappearance of old-growth white 

 pine spruce became a staple lumber product in the Boston and other 

 New England markets, where it still holds a leading place. It is used 

 for flooring, ceiling, and clapboards, for shingles and laths, boxing 

 materials, and pump tubing. 



GROWTH OF THE PAPER AND PULP BUSINESS. 



The phenomenal growth in the manufacture of paper from spruce 

 pulp during the five years between 1900 and 1905 is indicated in 

 Table 5. The figures for fifteen years since 1890 are included for 

 New Hampshire in order to show the extraordinary development from 

 small beginnings since the industry began. 



LCir. lt>8J 



