HARDWOOD RECORD 



19 



liUmberinen ami wood users east of the Eocky Mountains know 

 little about alder as a commercial wood, but on the Pacific coast 

 two kinds of alder attain sawlog size, and are classed among the 

 most valuable hardwoods of that region. There are five other 

 alders in this country, but they are too small to be interesting to 

 users of wood, except manufacturers of gunpowder, who burn 

 them for charcoal. 



The beech is alone in this country. There is only one kind, but 

 it is one of the l)est known woods on the market. 

 ToDGH Woods 



The elms are a distinct group, consisting of six species, every 

 one of which is known for toughness, and is valuable for lum- 

 ber. The white or gray elm is most abundant and best known; 

 the rock or cork elm, the strongest and hardest; the red or 

 slippery elm, the most easily identified on account of its peculiar 

 inner bark; while the wing elm and the others are southern 

 trees and no large quantities go to sawmills. 



Two kinds of hackberry trees contribute to the lumber supply, 

 but both are usually considered as one, and the wood is fre- 

 quently bought and sold as ash or elm. 



The forests of the United States grow eight kinds of cherry 

 trees, besides some tame varieties which have escaped from culti- 

 vation and are running wild; but all the cherry lumber of com- 

 merce comes from one species. The wood is well known and is 

 easily identified on account of its characteristic luster, when the 

 surface is polished. Cherry is not very plentiful. 



There are three sycamores,^ one east of the Eocky Mountains, 

 one in Arizona, and one in California. The two western trees are 

 of little importance as producers of lumber, because they are small 

 and scarce. Every wood user is acquainted with the eastern 

 sj'camore. The peculiar grain of the wood make.s its identification 

 easy, and those who look for it at the exposition will not fail to 

 find it. 



A SOUTAKY SpEPIES 



Yellow poplar or whitewood is a solitary tree to the extent that 

 it has no near relative this side of .China. It is the largest hard- 

 ■nH)od tree of the United States, and the wood is widely used. 

 The fine polish which it is capable of taking adds much to its 

 value. Few woods of this or any other I'ountry are suitable for 

 a larger number of uses. 



Maples and Basswood 



Fourteen maiilos contribute to the wealth of the American for- 

 ests, though most users recognize only "hard" and "soft" maple. 

 About half of the maples are in the hard class, the most impor- 

 tant, of course, being the well-known sugar tree. It supplies prob- 

 ably nine-tenths of the maple lumber of this country. 



Lumbermen recognize only one basswood, though botanists know 

 of three. All grow in the same range, are cut and marketed as 

 one, and the woods of the three are so nearly alike that it is 

 extremely difficult to distinguish one from the others, and nobody 

 tries to do it. The wood is white and soft, but tough, and has a 

 large number of uses. It may be expected to occupy a prominent 

 place in the exposition. 



The Kinds of Ash 



Those who consider ash simply as ash lose sight of the fact 

 that there are fourteen species of ash in this country, all of which, 

 with one or two exceptions, are sawed for lumber. It is not 

 necessary, however, to insist on exact separation of species, because 

 the woods of all are so similar that the buyer usually accepts them 

 without asking from what particular species a bill of lumber is 

 cut. White ash is the most plentiful and the best known, followed 

 by red and black ash. 



All the mahogany used in this country comes from foreign lands, 

 except an occasional small tree cut in Florida. 



Persimmon is a useful wood for certain purposes, but its range 

 of uses is limited chiefly to shuttles and golfheads. There are 

 two kinds of persimmon. One, called the Mexican persimmon, grows 

 in Texas, and the wood is seldom seen in shops and factories. The 

 other is the common persimmon of the South, the tree which bears 

 the famous fruit. 



There are five trees commonly called gum, but four of them are 

 really not gums at all. The red gum is the only true gum in this 

 country, at least from the standpoint of producing gum or resin. 

 The others, including black gum and the three tupelos, are so 

 universally called gum that the name can be accepted without 

 anybody being deceived. 



Dogwood is like persimmon in that the principal use is found 



in shuttles. If any is exhibited at the exposition it will likely 



be as shuttles or small handles. Two dogwoods grow in the East 



and one in the West. The latter is largest, but is not much used. 



Minor Species 



Buckeye lumber usually passes as sap poplar, but not always. 

 Practically all of the commercial wood is cut from the yellow 

 buckeye, which grows from Pennsylvania southward, though three 

 other buckeyes are found, one of which is in California, the others 

 in the eastern and southern states. If articles of buckeye are 

 shown at the exposition, they will probably consist of woodenware, 

 such as trays, small vessels, and ironing boards. 



Holly, the whitest of American woods, is not very important, 

 though some very nice articles are made of it. There are five 

 kinds of holly. The largest use is of the leaves and berries for 

 winter decorations. 



Two thorn locusts and three other locusts are found in the 

 United States, but the only one really valuable for its wood is 

 the common black or yellow locust of the northern and eastern 

 states. It is one of the hardest and most durable woods of this 

 country, and its largest use is as fence posts, though much is made 

 into insulator pins for electric lines. 



Six magnolias beautify southern forests with their flowers and 

 foliage, but the lumberman sees only one or two of them in the 

 log yard. The evergreen magnolia and the interesting cucumber 

 tree are most used and best known. 



Two wild mulberry trees grow in the American forests, and one 

 of them, the red mulberry, occasionally finds its way to shop and 

 factories, but it more frequently is made into fence posts. When 

 skillfully finished, the wood is by some regarded as handsomer 

 than black walnut. 



EiCH IN Tkees 



The foregoing are the American woods most likely to be found 

 at the exposition, but there are more than 200 others, and some of 

 them may be seen there. Visitors who attend, and especially those 

 who deal with wood in some of its forms, will be well repaid by 

 a somewhat careful study of the various manufactured articles 

 made partly or wholly of wood. The richness of American forest 

 species should make an impression. No country of the old world 

 could make such a varied display of kinds. The whole continent 

 of Europe has not so many commercial woods as grow in a single 

 state here. In visiting the exposition, look for variety and class 

 in the woods shown, and not for mere quantity. 



Exposition Taking Tangible Form 



It is announced by the executive forces and those familiar with 

 the developments that the Forest Products Exposition will be the 

 most complete, comprehensive, attractive and result-producing of 

 any pioneer industrial exposition ever given in this country. 

 Following the return of George S. Wood, manager of the exposi- 

 tion, to Chicago from New York last week, official announcement 

 was made that the radius of national business interest in the 

 exposition had been notably widened by the acceptance of many 

 new association and individual exhibits. Co-operation with the 

 management in its educational and industrial improvement policies 

 was extended by bodies of wholesale lumber dealers and manu- 

 facturers in a number of cities heretofore not listed. Under the 

 pressure of the demands of exhibitors, space in the Coliseum, 

 where the exposition opens April 30, and in the Grand Central 

 Palace, New York, where the opening day is May 21, is rapidly 

 dwindling, and the outlook for "last -minute" entries accordingly 

 slim. 



Features of the United States Government's forestry exhibit 

 have been outlined in a new report from Don Carlos Ellis of the 

 Forest Service. The largest tree conservation organization in the 



