^;3iTOtoBiTOiKMi»ilM)ilS*Sm««l^^ 



The Wood of the Ashes 



There are over thirty species of ash scattered over the northern 

 hemisphere of the old and new worlds, of which approximately one- 

 half are American. It is not possible to state the exact number since 

 botanists and dendrologists are not fully agreed in all cases whether 

 a tree belongs to a new species or is merely a varietal form of an old. 

 Of the total number in the United States, seven are of more or less 

 eeouoniic importance, the remainder being of only local value. Tliey 

 are white ash, black ash, red ash, green ash, blue ash, pumpkin ash, 

 and Oregon ash. Probably sixty 

 per cent of the total cut of ash in 

 this country is the true white asli 

 and thirty per cent black ash. On 

 the market it is customary to dis- 

 tinguish only two kinds, namely 

 white and black or brown. 



As a rule the wood of ash is 

 fairly heavy, with a density rang 

 ing from ..57 to .79 that of water, 

 the majority falling between .60 

 and .70. An exception is found in 

 the water ash (Fraxinus Carolini- 

 ana), a small and wholly unimpor- 

 tant tree found in deep river 

 swamps along the southern coast 

 region. Its wood, unlike that of 

 other species, is light, soft, weak, 

 fine-textured, difficult to work on 

 account of its sponginess. The 

 pores in the springwood are very 

 small, indistinct and rather widely 

 separated in a single row. The 

 pores in the summerwood are 

 scarcely if at all visible without 

 a lens and then show the charac- 

 teristic arrangement of the genus. 

 Mention is made of this tree only 

 because of its totally different 

 character from that of the other 

 members of the genus. Botauically 

 it is an ash, but no woodworker 

 would admit it. 



Taken as a whole the wood of 

 the ashes is strong, tough, straiglit- 

 grained, easy to work, odorless and 

 tasteless, and of high economic im- 

 portance. The sapwood is white, 

 making up a large proportion of 

 the tree, especially of those grow- 

 ing in the open; it is preferred to 

 ' beartwood for most purposes. The 

 wood is perishable in contact with 

 the soil. It is highly esteemed for vehicle coustruetion, handles, im- 

 plements and bent wood. It also makes excelleht interior finish when 

 sawed tangentially or in the case of veneer, rotary cut, the white 

 sunnnerwood producing a pleasing contrast with the darker spring- 

 wood of the growth layers. Burls are not uncommon which make up 

 into valuable veneers. 



The amount of ash lumber sawed in 1910 was a little more than 

 246,000,000 board feet, 45,000,000 feet less than in 1909 and nearly 

 21,000,000 feet more than in 1908. It is one of the most widely dis- 

 tributed of all woods and was reported in 1910 as cut by nearly 7,000 

 mills located in 39 states. The value of the lumber was more than 

 $6,000,000. The southern states have advanced in the production of 

 this lumber more rapidly since 1906 than any other section, Kentucky, 

 Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri showing a considerable increase, 

 while New York, Michigan, and Pennsylvania show a decrease. 

 In the production of slack cooperage staves, ash ranked seventh in 



1910, witli a total of 65,234,000. Ash staves are more extensively 

 used for butter and lard tubs and packages than any other kind, and 

 the major portions are made in Arkansas and Missouri. For tight 

 cooperage heading ash ranked a poor sixth, with 470,248 sets or less 

 than 2 per cent, to over 17,000,000 or 70 per cent from white oak. 

 A total of 2,356,000 board feet of ash wood was consumed in 1910 

 in the manufacture of veneer.s, which was a considerable decrease 

 over the three previous years. 



From the following table can be 

 liail a fair idea of the comparative 

 size of the mature trees and the 

 average weights and densities of 

 their woods: 



GOOD PIECE OF BLACK ASH (FRAXINUS NIORA) 

 Cross section showing a part of two growth rings. Note the large 

 pores in a wide ring in tlie springwood, and tbc small, i.sol.ited pores in 

 the summerwood rai-el.v joined b.v wood parenchyma into lines. The rela- 

 tive width of summerwood to springwood is greater than usual in this 

 species. Magnified fltty diameters. 



ashes is decidedly ring-porous, the 

 large and conspicuous pores of the 

 early portion of the growth ring 

 being collected into a rather broad 

 zone of from three to ten (rarely 

 one-half) rows in width. The pores 

 in the summerwood are small and 

 distributed singly, in groups, or in 

 mostly short broken (occasionally 

 continuous) more or less tangen- 

 tial lines. They are surrounded 

 by wood parenchyma which often 

 extends winglike from them, in 

 many cases, uniting them into ir- 

 regular tangential lines. It is in 

 the comparative development of 

 these lines that one looks for points 

 of distinction between the woods 

 of the species, though in some 

 cases the color and weight of the 

 material permits ready separation. 

 The true white ash (Fraxinus 

 amcricana) is widely distributed 

 tliroughout the eastern half of the 

 United States, in mixture with 

 other species on moist soil. The 

 center of its production is the Ohio 

 valley. The tree grows tall, straight and free from branches, pro- 

 ducing clear, straight-grained wood. The wood is hard, heavy, very 

 flexible, but ultimately brittle, splits easily. The heartwood, which is 

 light brown sometimes tinged with red, does not develop until the 

 tree is seventy years old. The sapwood is nearly white and is lacking 

 in natural luster but takes a high polish. 



The growth rings are clearly marked by several rows of large, open 

 pores, which in slow growth occupy nearly the entire width of ring, 

 thus resembling black ash in weight and strength. The lines of pores 

 in the summerwood are short and narrow, being composed of a few- 

 open pores and considerable wood parenchyma; they are most com- 

 monly found near the outer limit of the growth ring, though more 

 prominently developed in wood of rapid growth. The lines are best 

 seen with a hand lens magnifying ten to fifteen diameters, but can 

 often be made out with the unaided eye. 



The wood is used for wagon and carriage stock (poles, shafts, 



f - 



I 



