492 WOODY PLANTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



used in the manufacture of buckets and tubs, and is preferred 

 to every other wood for the making of lasts. Of these, 25,000 

 a year are made, of this material, in one shop in Lynn. The 

 wood of the apple tree serves as a substitute, and that of the 

 red maple when growing in pastures : but no other wood unites, 

 in an equal degree, the properties of softness in working, tough- 

 ness, compactness, and perfect smoothness when exposed to 

 wear. 



In naval architecture, the Rock Maple furnishes the best ma- 

 terial, next to white oak, for the keel, and by some persons it is 

 preferred for that purpose. A very intelligent ship-builder in 

 Maine writes me, " For keels, the Rock Maple is preferred for 

 its superior compactness and the cohesiveness of its fibres, which 

 lie in zigzag lines, sometimes entwining themselves in such a 

 manner as to render it almost impossible to separate them or 

 split the stick, which is an important consideration in a ship's 

 keel, it being liable often to strike the bottom and rend. The 

 durability of all kinds of wood under salt water being consid- 

 ered nearly or quite equal, all objection to maple on account of 

 its tendency to decay when not constantly submerged, is obvi- 

 ated." 



In the forest, the Rock Maple often attains great height, and 

 produces a great quantity of timber. A tree in Blandford which 

 was 4 feet through at base and 108 feet high, yielded seven 

 cords and a half of wood. 



As fuel, the wood of the Rock Maple holds the first place, in 

 all those parts of New England where the hickory is not found. 

 The ashes abound in alkali ; and the charcoal made from the 

 wood is the best in the Northern States. 



Michaux says that the wood of this tree may be easily dis- 

 tinguished from that of the Red Maple or the River Maple, by 

 pouring a few drops of sulphate of iron upon it. This wood 

 turns greenish ; that of the Red Maple or of the River Maple, 

 turns to a deep blue. 



In Massachusetts, between five hundred and six hundred thou- 

 sand pounds of sugar are annually made, from the juice of the 

 Rock Maple, valued at about eight cents a pound. The sap of 

 all the maples of New England, and also of the birches, the 



