4io 
North  American  Conifer  ce. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 
\     August,  1896. 
These  respective  portions,  when  treated  with  petroleum  ether, 
yielded  the  following  percentage  amounts  of  the  original  material, 
indicating  that  amount  of  fat,  wax,  fixed  and  volatile  oils  dissolved 
by  that  solvent : 
These  figures,  deducted  from  those  given  for  the  total  amount 
extracted  by  absolute  alcohol,  indicate  the  amount  of  resin  and 
tannin. 
The  residual  insoluble  portions  from  the  treatment  with  absolute 
alcohol  were  treated  separately  with  water,  to  which  they  yielded 
considerable  quantities  of  glucose  and  mucilage. 
Tannin  was  separated  from  the  bark  of  the  root  and  stem  separ- 
ately, and  the  ultimate  analyses  of  them  indicated  that  they  belong 
to  the  same  class  as  those  already  found  in  this  natural  order  of 
plants,  and  to  those  derived  from  oak  bark.  A  larger  amount  was 
then  prepared  from  the  mixed  stem  and  root  barks,  so  as  to  admit 
of  more  thorough  purification,  and  submitted  to  combustion,  when 
the  following  percentages  were  obtained  : 
Carbon  59*99 
Hydrogen    674 
The  qualitative  reactions  of  this  tannin  likewise  indicated  that  it 
belonged  to  the  oak  bark  group,  according  to  the  following : 
Ferric  chloride  gave  green  color  and  ppt. 
Bromine  water  gave  yellow  ppt. 
Calcium  hydrate  gave  light  ppt.,  turning  brown. 
ECONOMICS. 
The  wood  of  this  tree  is  straight-grained,  light  yellow  in  color, 
soft  and  light,  and  not  very  strong.  It  is  to  a  considerable  extent 
made  into  lumber,  and  is  somewhat  employed  in  making  spars  and 
masts  of  vessels.  The  fibres  of  the  roots  are  very  tough,  and,  when 
macerated  in  water,  deprived  of  their  bark,  and  split,  are  employed 
by  the  Indians  of  the  North  in  stitching  their  birch-bark  canoes. 
BLACK  OR  DOUBLE  SPRUCE. 
DISTRIBUTION  AND  GENERAL  CHARACTERS. 
This  species,  from  its  dark-colored  stem  and  branches,  is  com- 
monly called  the  black  spruce.    It  occurs  in  Labrador,  the  Hudson 
Leaves  .  . 
Stem  bark 
Root  bark 
3*9i 
3-62 
2'Sl 
PICEA  NIGRA,  LINK. 
