12 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



AMERICAN FOREST TREES. 



Eed Cedar. 

 Juniperus Yirainiana — Linn. 

 Eed cedar grows from Jsova Scotia and 

 southern New Brunswick to the northern 

 shores of Georgian bay; through northern 

 Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin; south- 

 ward to Tampa bay in Florida and through 

 the valley of the Colorado in Texas; west 

 as far as eastern Nebraska, Kan- 

 sas and Oklahoma; in the far West 

 its range of growth is from the 

 mountains of Colorado to British 

 Columbia; it is occasionally found 

 in Utah, Arizona and Nevada, 

 though not in comprehensive 

 growth. The tree is the most 

 widely distributed of North Ameri- 

 can coniferae. 



It is called red cedar in New 

 Hampshire, Vermont, Massachu- 

 setts, Rhode Island, ^ew Tork, 

 New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Dela- 

 ware, West Virginia, North Caro- 

 lina, South Carolina, Georgia, Flor- 

 ida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louis- 

 iana, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, 

 Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michi- 

 gan, Minnesota, Ohio and Ontario; 

 cedar in Connecticut, Pennsyl- 

 vania, New Jersey, South Carolina, 

 Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa and Ohio; 

 savin in Massachusetts, Khode 

 Island, New York, Pennsylvania 

 and Minnesota; juniper in New 

 York and Pennsylvania; juniper 

 bush in Minnesota; cedre in Louis- 

 iana. 



Eed cedar grows to a height of 

 from fifty to eighty feet, two or 

 three feet in diameter. It is coni- 

 cal in shape, becoming irregular 

 when old. In certain districts it 

 grows in the form of a shrub. It 

 is extensively used in landscape 

 gardening, although only when a 

 picturesque or rugged effect is de- 

 sired. The Dutch learned from the 

 Japanese to trim the tree into odd 

 shapes, and it is sufficiently hardy 

 to withstand this perversion of its 

 natural growth. 



Eed cedar thrives on dry, gravel 

 ridges and limestone hills and near 

 the coast, in deep swamps; through- 

 out Montana it is found bordering 

 streams and lakes. It reaches its 

 greatest development in the valley 

 of the Eed river, in Texas. 



The bark of red cedar is reddish-brown 

 and fibrous, and often peels off in long 

 strips, exposing the smooth wood below. 

 The leaves are in opposite pairs, having 

 slender points, very small; on young plants 

 and vigorous shoots they are lanceolate and 

 light yellowish-green in color; they overlap 

 «ach other and grow in rows on the branch- 



TWENTY-EIGHTH FAFEB. 



lets, having a stiff, angular appearance. In 

 north(Mn growth they turn russet during the 

 winter, after a few seasons growing hard 

 and woody, although they remain two or 

 tliree years longer ou the branches. 



The flowers are dioecious, but occasionally 

 monoecious. The staniinate ones have ten 

 or twelve stamens, with four or sometimes 



TYPICAL RED CEDAR GROWTH UNDER CULTIVATION. 



five pollen sacs. The scales of the pistillate 

 flower are violet in color and spreading, dis- 

 appearing from the fruit, which is a tiny 

 berry, pale green when young and purplish- 

 black at maturity; it grows erect and close, 

 along the branchlets. This fi-uit has a firm 

 covering and sweet, resinous meat, contain- 

 ing two or three seeds, pale brown, with 

 a thick, hard covering. 



The wood is light and soft, not strong, 

 and brittle. It is close and straight- 

 grained, and easily worked. It is very dur- 

 able when in contact with the soil. A 

 cubic foot of red cedar weighs about thirty 

 pounds. In appearance it is dull red, the 

 tliin sapwood being nearly white. The 

 nioihillary rays are numerous, but obscure; 

 the bands of summer cells rather 

 wide and conspicuous. It has a 

 delicate, agreeable fragrance, which 

 is especially marked. This odor is 

 disagreeable to insects, and for 

 tliat reason chests and closets of 

 cedar .nre highly appreciated as 

 storage places for garments subject 

 to the ravages of the moth and 

 buffalo bug. An extract from the 

 fruit and leaves is used in medi- 

 cine, while oil of red cedar, dis- 

 tilled from the wood, is used in 

 making perfume. Cedar has a 

 sweet taste. It burns badly, scarce- 

 ly being able to support a flame; 

 it is exceedingly aromatic and 

 noisy when burning and the em- 

 bers glow long in still air. The 

 wood fades when exposed to the 

 light. 



Its representative uses are for 

 posts, railway ties, pails, sills, 

 cigar-boxes, interior finish and cab- 

 inet making, but its most general 

 use is in the manufacture of lead- 

 pencils, for which its fine, straight 

 grain and soft texture are peculiar- 

 ly adapted. The further south 

 cedar is found, the softer and 

 ilearer it is. In the North, in orna- 

 mental trees, it is very hard, slow- 

 growing and knott}'. It shows but 

 a small percentage of clear lum- 

 lior. In eastern Tennessee there 

 wiTc considerable quantities of red 

 cedar brake that were for years 

 considered of little value. About 

 the only way the wood was em- 

 ployed a few years ago was in 

 fence rails and posts, fuel and char- 

 coal. Of late, people in localities 

 where cedar grows in any abun- 

 dance, have awakened to its value, 

 and cedar fences are rapidly dis- 

 appearing, owing to the high prices 

 now paid for the wood, and the 

 excellent demand. On no other va- 

 riety of southern wood has such 

 ilcpredation been practiced. Because of its 

 lightness and the ease with which it can be 

 worked, it has been used for purposes for 

 which other and less valuable woods were 

 well adapted. On account of its slow 

 growth, its complete exhaustion has often 

 been predicted, but a second growth has 

 iijipearod which, though much inferior to 

 the virgin timber, can be used in many 



