COMMERCIAL USES OF RED GUM 



645 



makes it difficult to seas(jn by ordinary methods without 

 warping and twisting-. This fault can be overcome, 

 however, by special treatment. The color of the heart- 

 wood is a rich, reddish brown; that of the sapwood 

 cream white. It is tasteless and odorless, and, when once 

 seasoned swells and shrinks little unless exposed to the 

 weather. Its structure is so uniform that it can be 

 stained, painted, or glued without absorbing much of 

 the material." 



Illinois uses more than 120,000.000 feet annually; Arkan- 

 sas and Missouri each consumes about 100,000,000 feet, 

 Kentucky and Tennessee more than 50,000,000 feet each. 

 Boxes and crates use a large percentage of the cheaper 

 grades of red gum. Some of the finer grades are manu- 

 factured into cigar boxes. In Pennsylvania alone more 

 than a half million feet is consumed annually for this 

 one purpose. 



In this country a constantly increasing cjuantity of red 



QUARTER-SAWED RED GUM VENEER 



.\11 red gum. whether figured wood or plain wood, quarter-sawed or plain 

 sawed, has a rich, reddish-brown color, with a character as soft and delicate 

 as the sheen of fine satin, and quarter-sawed figured red gum veneer offers 

 possibilities for matching figure known to no other wood. It produces a great 

 variety of markings and color tones, and selections of flitches may be made 

 to meet the individual taste of the designer. It has equally the beauty of 

 Circassian walnut and mahogany, yet has a distinctive character peculiar to 

 no other wood. 



Estimates based on statistics collected by the Bureau 

 of Corporations place the total stand of this wood in 

 the United States at about 50,000,000,000 feet, board 

 measure. In amount it is equal to about one-fourth of 

 all the oaks in the country ; two and a half times the 

 hickory ; three times the ash ; one-fifth more than cypress ; 

 nearly three times the maple ; many times the elm ; and, 

 except the oaks, it e.xceeds in amount any other hard- 

 wood, or group of hardwoods in the United States. In 

 fact, it is estimated that one-eighth of all the hardwood 

 of this country is red gum. It is, therefore, apparent 

 that it is a timber of great importance. 



The annual output of red gum lumber has grown 

 enormously. In 1900 only 285,000,000 feet of red gum 

 lumber was cut in the United States or 0.8 per cent of 

 the total annual lumber production. In 1913, there was 

 cut 772,514,000 feet or 2 per cent of the total cut — an 

 increase of 270 per cent in 13 years. To this must be 

 added the red gum used in veneer, slack cooperage, rail- 

 road ties and miscellaneous articles, so that it is safe to 

 estimate a cut more than a billion feet each year. In 

 several states red gum ranks second to white oak in the 

 amount of hardwoods used in manufactured articles. 



PLAI.X-SAWED RED GUM. FIGURED WOOD 



This shows a great variety of stripes and color tones, and is in demand for spe- 

 cial cabinet work of all kinds. It is extensively used in the manufacture of high- 

 grade furniture, built-in furniture, stairwork, car construction, etc.. both in 

 this country and foreign countries. It is often finished to imitate more costly 

 woods, such as black walnut, cherry, mahogany and especially Circassian wal- 

 nut, since lumber may be selected which has a natural figure closely resembling 

 that of Circassian walnut. Red gum furniture finished "natural" dots not 

 show finger marks and is easily cared for. 



gum is used in the manufacture of furniture. The com- 

 moner grades are made into drawers, frames, and back- 

 ing, for desks, bedsteads, tables, etc. Considerable clear 

 heart is used also for surface work, either solid or as ve- 

 neer. The natural color of the wood is attractive, but 

 it takes stain so well that it is often made to imitate 

 mahogany, oak, walnut, etc. The furniture factories in 

 the cities use annually between 40,000,000 and 60,000.- 

 000 board feet of this lumber. A sewing-machine com- 

 pany at Cairo, Illinois, uses 15,000,000 board feet of gum 

 per year in the manufacture of sewing-machine tables. 

 The wood is built up of three '/',„-inch pieces, laid cross- 

 wise to each other to prevent warping, and usually fin- 

 ished with oak or other hardwood veneer. This method 

 has been found very satisfactory. 



One of the most important uses of red gum is for 

 interior finish. Stained or in its natural color, it may be 

 made very attractive, and w-hen properly seasoned fulfills 

 every requirement of a first-class wood for that purpose. 

 Red gum may be obtained in either plain or quarter- 

 sawed lumber, or selected for figure. The figure in red 

 gum is fundamentally different from the characteristic 

 figures of oak and many other woods. Oak's figure in 



