8 BULLETIN 152, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
As the higher grades of pine grew scarce and expensive, hemlock 
acquired a modest value of its own as a competitor with the succes- 
sively lower grades of pine which were being introduced. Only the 
best hemlock was at first put on the market, but afterward lower 
grades came in for box manufacture and other purposes for which 
high-grade lumber was not required. 
The production of only the best grade of hemlock necessarily 
involved a great deal of waste both in logging and sawing. Partially 
defective logs were culled out in the woods, because the lumber they 
contained would not pay for their removal. Hemlock, when mature, 
is commonly wind shaken and rotten at the butt, and branchy and 
tapering at the top, so the amount thus left was naturally very large. 
Many trees which contained some sound lumber were left standing. 
In the mill, peeled logs had to be heavily slabbed to remove season 
checks, and much of the heartwood might be unsalable because of 
knots and shakes. Many of the slabs and edgings were made into 
laths, but far more were burned. As lower grades of lumber became 
salable there was less waste; trees were cut farther into the top and 
shorter butts were taken, while slabs and edgings were sold to pulp 
mills. In some parts of the country the broken logs and tops left 
after logging are now cut into bolts and used for pulp. Means of 
utilizing waste are rapidly increasing, and the present problem is, 
which of these will pay best? 
Though inferior to yellow pine and Douglas fir where great strength 
is required, hemlock lumber makes good building material and is said 
to give greater strength and firmness than white pine. It is well 
adapted for frames, sheathing, roofing, floor lining, and other con- 
struction purposes. It is softer and fighter than southern pine or 
Douglas fir, but holds nails as well. As drop siding it makes an 
excellent outside finish for barns and houses, if kept well painted. 
The best grades make attractive inside finish wherever a soft wood is 
appropriate. 
The durability of the wood depends very largely upon the nature of 
its use. In contact with the soil it is very perishable, and is not well 
adapted for ground sills unless treated with a preservative. If kept 
in a dry place, however, it is extremely durable. Even as outside 
covering it will give good service if placed so that it dries out rapidly 
and thoroughly after being wet. There are instances of hemlock 
barns which still stand after 50 or more years' use. Shaved hem- 
lock shingles, if of good, straight-grained wood and used on a mod- 
erately steep roof, are practically as durable as white pine shingles. 
An important defect of hemlock for such uses is its liability to 
check and split when exposed to the sun. Hemlock laths are 
said to make a firmer and better wall than pine, though harder to 
nail than either the latter or basswood. 
