84 
TIMBER 
and also in Quebec and Ontario, where it forms extensive 
forests, attains a height of 70 to 100 ft., and 2 ft. in 
diameter. It is used for rough framing, and in large 
quantities for railway sleepers, and it holds nails well. 
Great quantities are used in Canada for piling in wharves 
and quays. The colour is a light brown tinged with yellow, 
the sapwood nearly white. It is imported as deals and 
battens. 
Weight about 36 lbs. per cubic foot. 
Western Hemlock {Tsuga Iteteropltylla, or T. mertensiana 
in Canada) is by many considered superior to eastern 
hemlock, although the difficulty of transport and the high 
reputation of the latter have hitherto caused it to be little 
used, but in 1905 a considerable quantity was cut in 
Washington, To get the timber into the market it is usually 
manufactured into flooring and scantling and sold as 
spruce or fir, and an attempt has been made to introduce 
it as Alaska pine. It is a good deal used for pulp. There 
is no record of its durability. It has given satisfaction in 
floors. Not adapted for use partly in and partly out of 
ground ; in fresh water, hemlock piles will last about ten 
years, but as it is softer than fir it is less able to stand 
driving successfully. It is straight in grain, will take a 
good polish, is much used for wainscot panels and newels, 
and has a beautiful grain when cut in certain ways. Very 
subject to black streaks or checks f to 3 inches long, about 
f inch wide, and thin, which run parallel with the grain, 
and are apt to open out when dried ; it is also liable to 
black knots, and very liable to attack by boring insects. It 
is not suitable for heavy construction, especially where 
exposed to weather, but is used for ordinary building work. 
Though usually of whitish colour the heartwood is some- 
times a reddish brown, which may extend to the saj), and 
