TIMBER OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA 97 
refuse sawn chestnut sleepers entirely because their rough 
surfaces are said to absorb more moisture and to decay 
quicker than hewn ties, hence there is a great waste in con- 
verting the timber. 
Chestnut in Canada (Castanea dentata) is confined to the 
south-western part of Ontario, and even there it is only 
met with in small quantities. It is one of the many woods 
used by the turner, and also for marquetry and inlaid work, 
white holly, box, and pear being some of the others. 
Buckeyes or Horse Chestnuts {.Esculus glabra and JE. flava) 
produce a soft wood of but Httle value. It is used a good 
deal for wooden ware, and for the making of artificial limbs 
it is preferred to any other. 
Spruce grows intermixed with fir in the north-eastern 
States and the Eocky Mountain region, is found in abun- 
dance in Ontario, Canada, and grows from there to the 
Pacific. 
White Spruce (Picea alba) is used largely wherever pine 
is scarce for floors, joists, doors, sashes, mouldings, and 
panel work, in fact it is rapidly taking the place of the 
white pine (P. strobus) for building purposes in Canada, 
not only because of its being cheaper, but because it has 
been found satisfactory for many purposes, and the demand 
on this timber is also active in the northern United States. 
In Southern California some species grow to a height of 
200 ft. with a trunk 4 ft. in diameter, but the average 
height of the tree is about 70 to 80 ft. It is very similar 
to Norway spruce, excels it in toughness, is rather less 
durable and dense, and more liable to warp in seasoning. 
Over 9,000 spruce piles 25 to 40 ft. long were driven in 
their natural condition as foundation piles for Long Island 
City power station a few years ago. 
