Juuo 25, 1915. 



The aniiounceinent -tliat u eoinpaiiv has been organized hi the 

 State of Washington to make combs of alder on a large scale serves 

 to call attention to that interesting wood. 



People in the eastern states know alder only as a worthless shrub 

 that grows in thickets along the banks of streams or in swamps, 

 and never attains a size above two or three inches in diameter and 

 ten or fifteen feet high. It is seldom even cut for fuel. In 

 England the alder thickets are cut for burning into charcoal for 

 gunpowder. Doubtless the alder 

 copses of that country are now 

 being depleted more rapidly than 

 ever before. On the continent of 

 Europe, particularly in northwest- 

 ern Europe, alder is a source of 

 lumber, and house builders use it. 

 and have been using it, for .3,00ii 

 years. 



In the United States the only 

 timber of this sjjecies large enough 

 for the sawmill grows on tlic 

 Pacific coast in California, Ore- 

 gon, and Washington. There arc 

 two kinds, white alder (Alnux 

 rhomoifolia) and red alder (Ahiii.'i 

 oregona). Two other species, 

 west of the Rocky mountains, 

 occasionally attain tree size, but 

 there appears to be no report that 

 they have ever been used. The 

 one most commonly used is red 

 alder. 



The wood belongs in the hard- 

 wood class, but is quite soft. It 

 is red, and in appearance bears 

 some resemblance to red cedar, 

 the kind that lead pencils are 

 made of, but it is not so fine- 

 grained as this cedar, nor is it 

 so soft. 



This alder is said to be the 

 most quickly-decaying wood of the 

 American forests. A log, ten 

 inches in diameter, has been 

 known to rot so completely in one 

 year that it broke by its own 

 weight when an attempt was made 

 to lift it. That occurs in tlic 

 damp forests of Washington, but 

 when alder is kept dry it lasts 

 well. Trees are sometimes two 

 feet, and even three, in diameter, 

 and eighty feet tall. They are 

 shapely and make nice, straight 

 sawlogs. 



The white alder, though a sep- 

 arate species, looks much like the 

 other. Both prefer the banks of streams where their roots can 

 reach plenty of water. The wood of white alder is not considered 

 to be so valuable as the red, but it is put to use. In California it 

 is one of the best broom-handle woods to be had. The tree is fairly 

 hardy, and it follows the narrow valleys and water courses into the 

 mountains two thousand feet or more above sea level. Snow there 

 sometimes falls a foot deep, and being wet and sticky it catches 

 the white alders at a disadvantage, for the trees are in bloom in 

 winter. The blossoms are yellow in color, five or six inches long, 

 and of the shape and size of leadpencils. The wet snow clings 

 tenaciously to their furry surfaces, and the spectacle is unique and 



\vi:siEi;N i;i;li adlei; 



interesting. The cold seems not to injure the flowers in the least, 

 and about twelve months later there is a crop of seed, the size of 

 I)in heads, which may scatter like black dust upon the next winter's 

 new fallen snow. 



Red Alder's Place 

 Red alder is preferred by those who use the wood. No history 

 is old enough to tell when the use of this wood commenced on the 

 Pacific coast. The Indians were making dishes and idols of it long 



before the world heard of Chris- 

 topher Columbus. It was the only 

 wood of the Pacific coast which 

 the Indian with his rude tools 

 could shape ami hollow for serv- 

 iceable vessels in which to store 

 or cook his food. He cooked in 

 troughs of water which was 

 lirought to a boil by dropping in 

 liot stcmes. The prehistoric sav- 

 ages thought so much of their red 

 •ilder basins and troughs that 

 llicy were buried with the dead 

 for ii.se in the happy hunting 

 grounds. By excavating some of 

 the old Indian bone pits these 

 vessels are now brought to light. 

 When tlie Indians of that region 

 procured edged tools from traders 

 they increased the size and added 

 tfl the nupiber of their aMer wood- 

 euware. They made almost every 

 kind of vessel and tool from 

 spoons to canoes. The Field 

 Museum of Chicago has a fine 

 collection of alder vessels made by 

 Indians of Washington and British 

 ColuKiliia. 



Modern U.ses 

 Factories in Washington and 

 Oregon use 2,0n0,00ii feet of red 

 alder yearly to make various arti- 

 cles. The most important of 

 these aae broom handles, porch 

 columns, furniture, interior house 

 finish, pack saddles, pulleys, and 

 turnery. The wood takes a smooth 

 finish. After it has become sea- 

 soned it never shrinks or swells 

 much. It is diflicult to ignite, 

 and for that reason has been rec- 

 ommended for mantels. It has 

 also been suggested for fire-proof 

 shingles, but its tendency to quick 

 decay places it in poor favor for 

 shingles, and there are no reports 

 of its employment in that capac- 

 ity- 

 Trees are largely sapwood which is light in color when first cut; 

 but exposure to the air causes the color to change to reddish so 

 that after that change has occurred, the line between sapwood and 

 heart is not always easily distinguished. It is supposed that the 

 change in color is due to chemical action. 

 Alder for Combs 

 If the announced plan to make combs of alder on a large scale 

 is carried out, it will result in bringing this wood into wider notice 

 than it now enjoys. The combs are intended for hotels, and if the 

 movement proves popular, immense numbers will be called for. Each 

 guest of the hotels is to have a new comb every day as a regular 



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