The Alder on the northwest coast grows large enough to make canoes, and in the north of Europe the species indigenous grow to a large size. In our efforts at timber culture in the near future there will be many wet spots in the Northern States, or in elevated regions, that will be just suited to this tree. It will be useful to place on record the following, from the London Garden, as to the uses of Alder timber :

"The Alder in the market, as regards price generally, gets classed with the Birch and the Poplar, and consequently does not command a very high figure. For its class, however, it is a very useful wood. According to old writers, it has a quality which appears to be but little regarded at the present day, viz., that of enduring a long time under water or in moisture. It is stated that in the past it has been considerably used for piles. Assuming its properties to be as good in this respect as has been represented, there would now be a great difficulty in getting a supply of wood large enough for works of any magnitude, and whatever it may be worth in this direction, it is more likely to be used for small works of a private nature than in anything where material would have to be bought off the market. The Alder has been suggested as a suitable wood to cultivate for pit and mining props. Looking at the present position of the supply of this commodity, it does not seem as though there is much chance of Alder growing for propping being successful; the idea may be recorded for what it is worth for districts where propping is not very plentiful, and where the soil is not fit for the growth of the woods which are more commonly used.

In the districts where they are required, Alder of a suitable size is sometimes prepared for hop poles, but on the whole it is more the wood for the turner than for any other handicraftsman. The smaller wood in the turning industry goes for bobbins, of which vast quantities in the shape of cotton reels and similar articles are annually consumed. Another use of a similar nature is the manufacture of brush backs. The toy broom of the drawing-room and the scrubbing broom of the scullery are alike prepared from this wood. Another use of the Alder, which was referred to some time ago by a writer, is the manufacture of clog soles. Here, in the south, very little of this work is seen, but for the soles of pattens it is occasionally cut up. For charcoal burning the Alder is regarded as of considerable value, and in some districts the better portions of the wood are turned to account for the staves of dry casks. As it has been stated, the wood is more generally grown in the form of poles than in that of timber, so the majority of the manufactures from it consist of small articles.

Where the tree grows to what may be regarded as a timber size, the uses to which the Willow and the Poplar are generally put would as nearly as anything represent what may be ventured upon with the Alder. It is a wood which is spoken of as being used for wheelwrights' work, such as the lining of carts and wagons, but where Elm is to be had, and at the present prices, it certainly seems unadvisable to use Alder. For work where a soft and non-splitting material is essential, it may now and again be advantageous to use it, but the general lines upon which its admissibility may be determined are those previously given".