BALSAM FIE, 
15 
UNSOUNDNESS. 
In comparison with spruce, balsam is a short-lived tree, and is apt 
to become defective by the time it reaches large size. A log from a 
large tree which may seem apparently sound will, when cut up into 
blocks, often show heart rot in some portion of its length, or, still 
more frequently, the fibers at the center will be of soft texture, 
making its use uneconomical. Decayed heart is not so common in 
young, small-size trees, and since small logs contain more sap and 
produce better fiber than large ones, balsam of small diameters is not 
only suitable for pulpwood, but is to be preferred to the large sticks. 
Knots, though more numerous in small sticks than large ones, are 
not a serious objection. They can be cheaply removed by passing 
the chipped wood through a tank of water, in which the knots sink and 
the wood is carried off from the surface. 
Balsam fir cut in winter produces firmer and harder paper than 
when cut in summer. 
The general tenor of nearly all the answers to the circular letter 
was that balsam fir is undoubtedly inferior to spruce in every respect, 
but that it has come into tbe pulp industry to stay. It fills a place 
in the economy of paper making, and its drawbacks are of such a 
nature that they may be to a great extent, if not entirely, overcome by 
intelligent effort. 
BALSAM FIR LUMBER. 
The increased demand for spruce by pulp men, who were able to 
pay higher prices for it than the lumbermen, compelled the latter to 
turn their attention to hemlock and balsam. Hemlock enters now 
more and more into building operations, supplanting spruce; while 
balsam fir, not being as strong as spruce, is relegated to uses for 
which strength is not a prune requirement. The total cut of balsam 
fir for lumber hi 1909 was reported as 108,702,000 board feet. 
Balsam fir is softer and more brittle than spruce; it decays rapidly 
in the ground, and when green does not hold nails well; but being light 
and tasteless it makes a very desirable box material, especially for 
foodstuffs. It is extensively used for cheese-box headings, staves for 
fish and sugar barrels, sardine cases, butter boxes, and the like. It is 
easily worked, and is well adapted for molding, novelty, bevel, and 
drop siding. It is of straighter grain than spruce, and in seasoning is 
less subject to warping and twisting, which makes it the better of the 
two woods for fence boards, small joists, planing, scantling, laths, and 
shingles. Its white color often makes it desirable for house finishing, 
and some consider it superior to spruce for violins. It saws easier, 
dries quicker, and is claimed to hold paint better than spruce. It has 
also been found to be suitable for rough lumber, flooring, ceiling, 
studding, crating, furniture, sheathing, children's carriages, toys, 
small frames, matches, square timber, excelsior, etc. In the form of 
