150 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



The red gum, A. K. Chittenden (U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Forestry Bui. 58, pp. 

 3-39, 55, 56, pis. 6, map 1). — The increased price of cottonwood and yellow poplar 

 has gradually brought the red gum into the market. 



Many of the heretofore objectionable features of this wood have been overcome by 

 improved methods of handling, and the gum now occupies a recognized rank as a 

 commercial wood. The red gum (IAquidambar styraciflua) grows in the hard wood 

 bottom lands of the South in mixtures with ash, cottonwood, oak, etc. Other 

 important gums which grow in the same region are the tupelo or bay poplar {Nyssa 

 (ujualica), and the black gum (A. sylvatica). The latter is not cut as mill timber. 



The author made a study of the red gum as it is found in the Mississippi Valley 

 and along the Atlantic coast. The characteristics of the tree as regards form, toler- 

 ance of shade, soil and moisture requirements, reproduction, second growth, rate of 

 growth, etc., were investigated, together with stumpage value, lumbering methods, 

 milling, market and uses of timber, properties of the wood, prices of lumber, 

 methods of seasoning, and of forest management. Some attention was also paid to 

 the lumber manufacture and uses of tupelo gum. 



The red gum is intolerant of shade. It reproduces from both seeds and sprouts. 

 Seed crops are borne when the trees reach 25 to 30 years of age and they may con- 

 tinue in bearing up to the age of 150 years. Trees over 50 years old seldom sprout. 

 The stumpage value of young timber ranges from 50 cts. to $1,50 per 1,000 ft. B. M. 

 Logs delivered at the mill bring $5 to .$7 per 1,000 ft, B. M. The green logs will not 

 float and since the waterways form the cheapest method of transportation, the 

 method of lumbering now generally followed in the South is to cut the trees without 

 girdling in the fall, from September to January or February, when high water sets 

 in. They are then floated down on rafts with cypress, ash, or cottonwood, to keep 

 them from sinking. The work is simplified where railway logging can be practiced. 



Red gum is now used for practically all purposes for which poplar and cottonwood 

 have been used heretofore. The best grade heartwood is largely exported, though 

 some is used for inside finish in this country. Of that exported 75 per cent goes to 

 England, France, and Germany for the manufacture of furniture and for inside fin- 

 ishing, etc. Common and clear sapwood goes into cheap furniture, desks, boxes, etc. 

 The poorer stock goes into boxes, barrels, and the like. 



About 60 per cent of the stock from the tree is of sap grade. This is largely used 

 for boxes. From 40,000,000 to 60,000,000 ft. B. M. red gum is now used in this 

 country annually for the manufacture of furniture. About 18,000,000 ft. was used in 

 1903 for flooring. Large amounts are used in the manufacture of slack barrels. For 

 this purpose it must be steamed more than cottonwood or elm to prevent breakage. 

 Other uses are for wagon-box boards, paving blocks, handles for tools, etc. 



The wood is not strong enough for construction purposes. The chief objection to 

 it is its strong tendency to warp and twist. This is largely overcome by proper 

 methods of seasoning, which involve piling it in the yards so as to permit a free cir- 

 culation of air under and through the piles. Gum boards may be successfully kiln- 

 dried. Boards over 2 in. thick, however, are apt to caseharden. 



A number of tables are given showing the rate of growth of red gum in Missouri 

 and South Carolina, and the average stand in native and second growth forests. The 

 rate of growth is slower in the Mississippi Valley but the trees reach there their 

 greatest development The more rapid growth of the trees along the Atlantic results 

 in a larger proportion of sapwood. 



Tupelo gum is at present o! great commercial importance only in Alabama. With 

 this gum there is no distinction in color between heartwood and sapwood. It is gen- 

 erally sold in the market as bay poplar. It possesses about the same weight and 

 strength as red gum, but is tougher and more perishable when exposed. The wood 

 is used for furniture drawers and backs, paneiwork, inside finish, and especially for 



