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market, and even ties have such a poor rating that most of the ties of 
these sections are either shipped in or made of Hemlock. 
SPRUCE. 
Spruce occurs scattered throughout the moister loam land districts, 
especially of the northern and eastern parts of this territory, but it is 
more commonly restricted to the swamp and semiswamp areas. On 
many of the poor moss bogs it forms the only tree growth. It is 
nowhere abundant, forms no solid bodies, is a mere runty shrub or 
half tree on the moss bog, and even on the better soils attains a diame- 
ter of only about 12 inches and a height of 50 feet. Trees over 12 inches 
in diameter are the exception; trees 18 inches in diameter and over are 
rare. It seems to reproduce fairly well, endures shade, but appears 
sensitive to changes in soil moisture, thriving only in very moist locali- 
ties. Being scattered, Spruce is logged only in a small way, though, 
on the whole, considerable quantities are being cut for pulp, and an 
increase of this cut may be expected. 
The total stand of Spruce in north Wisconsin may be placed at about 
1,200,000 cords, including all wood down to 4 inches. 
BALSAM FIR. 
Balsam Fir is thinly scattered in most forests of the more humid loam 
aud clay lands. Like Spruce, it is often wanting over considerable 
tracts, but few large districts are entirely without it. It reproduces 
well, stands crowding, and endures shade; it grows fairly well when 
young and favorably situated, remains small, but is not as short-lived as 
is often supposed. It is generally less than 12 inches in diameter and 
below 60 feet in height. It never forms large bodies, is little used as 
yet, and is rarely cut for saw logs; it is occasionally used for temporary 
buildings, and of late to some extent for pulp wood. Being usually 
left out of timber estimates, the amount of standing Balsam is not 
easily ascertained. In all forests where Balsam Fir occurs in commer- 
cial quantities the yield per acre was placed at from 50 to 100 feet B. M. 
per acre, or 4 to 8 cords per 40 acres, an estimate which agrees with 
some estimates made by the Chicago Northwestern Railroad Company 
in Forest and adjoining counties. This figure will generally prove con- 
siderably below the truth, but it seemed desirable to have at least some 
estimate, however crude, of this material—doubly so, as it is already 
beginning to have a market value as pulp wood. Including everything 
from 4 inches up, there are probably about 800,000 cords. The Balsam 
Fir has no future, the ground it occupies is largely farm land, its growth 
is too slow, and its size is too small to commend it to future operations. 
HARD-WOOD SUPPLIES. 
Aside from the general outlines of the Hemlock and Birch bearing 
portion of the great forest, as differentiated from the Oak forest, no 
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