64 WOODY PLANTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



The qualities of the wood are lightness, softness, and dura- 

 bility. Its specific gravity, according to Mr. Bull, is .418, being 

 less than that of any tree except the Lombardy Poplar. It is 

 wrought with perfect ease, cutting freely in every direction. 

 When kept dry, or exposed to the air, above the influence of 

 the ground, it lasts for a great number of years; and is not 

 split or much shrunk or warped by the sun ; but it is subject 

 to rapid decay when placed near the ground. Its defect is its 

 want of strength. 



The uses of the wood of the white pine are most important 

 and numerous. As it forms timber and boards of a greater 

 size than any other soft -wooded tree, and is lighter and more 

 free from knots, it is employed, in preference, for masts of 

 ships, for the large beams, posts and covering of wooden build- 

 ings, and for the frame- work of houses, barns and bridges, as 

 well as for clap-boards, and sometimes for shingles. The clear- 

 ness, softness and beauty of this wood, recommend it for the 

 panels and frames of doors, for wainscoting, for the frames of 

 windows, for cornices and mouldings, and for all the uses of 

 the joiner. As it receives paint perfectly, it is employed for 

 floors which are to be painted. For such as are exposed to 

 much wear, as those of kitchens and back entries and stairs, 

 the woods of the pitch pine and southern pine are preferred, 

 on account of their superior hardness. 



Every thing made of white pine is usually painted. Doors, 

 panels, and tables of this wood are sometimes only varnished, 

 so as to exhibit the wood itself. In this state, it gradually takes 

 a yellowish or light reddish color, and has considerable beauty. 

 Stained and varnished, it is a beautiful material for wainscoting, 

 window frames, and the other internal finishing of a house. 



It is excellent for the carver in wood, and is used for the figure- 

 heads of vessels ; and, as it takes gilding well, it is preferred for 

 the frames of looking-glasses and pictures. In all the ways in 

 which it can be used as fuel, it is of little value, though it burns 

 freely when dry, and is much used for kindling. 



In consequence of these numerous uses, it is every year be- 

 coming more scarce. The exportation from the growth of this 

 State has almost ceased, and from New Hampshire and the 



