Y.-ll.nv ii»i>lar is usr.l l.y lorly >,v.ii .if tlio liftytlir.i- r.co« 

 iiizcil imlustrics of this eoiiiitry wliicli uiii|>luy wood lis raw material. 

 Uiily tlirt'O or four woods give Horvieu in n laryiT miiiibcr of 

 industries; but it is n« evenly distriluitod nnioug the markets of the 

 country as any other wood. Nevertheless, this timber does not 

 grow ill one-fourth of the area of the United States. It does not 

 do well where winters are e.xtreiiiely cold nor in the Bouthern 

 iiitry where the summer heat is excessive; neither does it occur 

 western refjions where rainfall is light. 



The state furnishing the largest cut of poplar lumber is West 

 Virginia, though the state's area is relatively small. One-fifth of 

 the whole ]iroduction is cut there. Other large producing states arc 

 Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, lieorgia, and Ala- 

 bama. The seven states here named furnish eighty per cent of 

 the poplar lumber of the United States, the remaining twenty per 

 cent coming from more than a do/.eu other states. The annual cut 

 is declining. It is a tree of attractive appearance, easily handled 

 in logging operations and on mills, the lumber is easy to sell; and 

 as a result, the stand of yellow pojilar has been one of the first 

 timber resources in a new region to fall before the ax. 



No other country in the world produces yellow poplar lunilier, 

 though a very similar tree grows in China, where it has never been 

 abundant during historic times. 



The states which use most poplar are not the largest producers. 

 The factories of Ohio use more poplar than those of any two other 

 states. Ohio furnishes about (iiie-sevcnth of what its factories 

 demand. Kentucky uses fifty per cent more than it produces; 

 Tennessee's use is approximately the same as its production; and 

 West Virginia makes use of only one-third of the poplar its 

 mills saw. 



The accompanying table shows what states are the largest users; 

 but this wood is in use in every state. The table likewise names 

 the twelve industries which use this wood in largest quantities, but 

 thirty-four other industries list poplar among their supplies. 



This wood is not put to use by all persons and industries that 

 would like to use it. It is high-grade stuff and the cost is com- 

 ]>aratively high, with the result that cheaper woods have crowded 

 into places formerly held by poplar. For certain purposes, other 

 woods are good enough without being as good as popla.-. In that 

 respect, it has had much the same history as northern whit',' pine. 

 When the best grades were cheap, they were put to iiuiiiy iisis 

 where they are now seldom found. 



Those who must have the wood and are willing and able to pay 

 the price, can still obtain it. Decline in the total output does not 

 imply failure in the supply, but it means onlj' that certain uses 

 still demand poplar, and that others have found substitutes. 



No authentic figures are available to show what the country's 



it is growing and very little is being done to plant more or to 

 protect young trees, and the inovitablo result will bo that this 

 splendid wood will become scarcer in the future. 



A study of the accompanying table should be worth while for 

 those who have this wood for sale as well as for those who wish to 

 buy it for manufncturing purposes. Certain industries re(|uire 

 mucli, i.lhers get along with little: 



Balsa Wood for Airplanes 



It was stated in a ivciit iiewspaprr il.m that the United Fruit 

 Company had planted 2UU acres of balsa trees somewhere in tropical 

 America, but the precise locality was not given, and that the wood 

 was intended for airplane construction. ^ 



Probably the trees have been planted, but if the planting was 

 done to grow airplane wood, somebody used very poor judgment 

 or else the available information concerning the qualities of balsa 

 wood is unreliable. It is a wood lighter than cork, and it is claimed 

 that it is suitable for airplanes because it is light. But lightness 

 is not given much consideration in selecting wood for such 

 planes. Strength and straight grain are wanted. The weight does 

 not matter much. The heavy part of an airplane is the engine, 

 the tank, and the fuel. The weight of the wood is a small item 

 compared with these. 



Balsa wood is weak. Exact figures showing its strength are not 

 available, but the general statement has been made many timei. 

 that it is weak. That condemns it as material for airplanes in any 

 important part. Somebody has started the report that because it 

 is light it is wanted for planes, and the report continues to go and 

 grow. 



This wood is valuable for life preserving belts and as floats for 

 fish nets. It has long been so used. No new discovery has been 

 made. It will probably pay to grow balsa trees for those uses, 

 since the trees grow very rapidly. 



Pioneers in the -forests of the Appalachian region knew of a wood 

 which could be used as a substitute for salt in seasoning meat. 

 Tliej' boiled twigs in the kettle with their venison and bear meat. 

 Tliey called the wood spicebush. Botonists call it Benzoin benzoin. 

 The twigs are brittle and when bent are apt to fly to pieces. The 

 odor is strong and characteristic. The bush is near akin to sassa- 

 fras. Tlie twigs boiled in the sap of the sugar maple, in early 

 spring, made a healthful, pleasant drink known as ' ' spice tea. ' ' 

 The bush attains a height of ten or fifteen feet, bears yellow^ flowers 

 and red berries. 



USES OF YELLOW POPLAR PER TEAR— BOARD FEET 



Ohio 



Kentucky 



63,71S 



IT.SO.i. 



New York 16.010, 



Pennsylvania 17,123. 



Tennessee 29,072. 



Illinois 3,964, 



West Virginia .' 30,963, 



North Carolina 3,235. 



Indiana 9.501. 



Virginia 6,052. 



Michigan 5,979. 



Massachusetts 1,635. 



New Jersey 3,625. 



Alabama 8,075. i 



Maryland '. 3,205. 



Missouri 1,297. 



South Carolina 4.950.< 



Georgia l,Ht\i 



Connecticut 1,195. 



Wis,-..nsin 132. 



Boxes 

 39,026,157 

 27,493.000 

 9,930,400 

 19.617,221 

 16,186,510 

 13,003,250 

 2,184,500 

 2,938,000 

 4,930,000 

 14,451.000 

 582.000 

 6.723,800 

 1,197,000 

 810.000 

 4,493.000 

 2.655.300 



Furniture 

 3.126,703 

 2,271,000 

 6,121.780 

 2,916.700 

 1.037,000 



377,250 



615.000 

 25.319.000 

 3.869.242 

 2.729.000 

 1,685,506 



319,500 

 89,500 



301.000 

 1.166,000 



149.000 

 1.205,000 

 1.176,717 



43.( 



i,000 



Vehicles 



8.918,884 



3,207.000 



2,701.900 



3.764,385 



481.000 



6.791.000 



691,000 



2.059,000 



3.027.718 



849,500 



6.849.280 



601.000 



303.500 



320,000 



86.500 



871.250 



193.000 



1,412.500 



575.225 



1.395.000 



Music Cars 



823,000 4.598,7 



2,446,000 4.732.000 

 9.933,900 896.S00 



135,100 3.172.113 



11.300 



8,441,000 9,362,500 

 239,000 



Bungs 



9,620,000 



2,610,415 

 4,354,500 

 6,732,866 



680,86S 



2,471,000 



266,000 



100,000 4,240,040 



14,000 



184,540 



2,113,500 



67,000 



1.420.600 



1,371.100 



3.023,250 



2.237,000 



30,000 



2,743,000 



43,000 



232.000 



103,500 



286,000 



108,500 



131,000 



161,000 



14,000 

 500,000 

 161.500 



50.000 



.\gricnltur 

 linple- 

 mcnts 



1.530.700 

 250.000 

 673,700 

 757,500 

 450,000 



1,665.000 



2.065.000 

 6,000 



4,261,000 

 4.600 



979.000 

 748,000 

 1,548,685 

 70,000 

 4,000 

 555,000 

 271,300 

 355.000 



100.000 

 500,000 



