HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



AMERICAN FOREST TREES 



,With the other red oaks, Qiiercus rubra, 

 Texam, and digitata, turkey oak forms the 

 commercial lumber' producing group of this 

 genus. This tree is generally considered 

 inferior to the other species mentioned, and 

 it is only because of its growth in connec- 

 tion with other merchantable trees that it is 

 marketed at all. Not only is its 

 quality as a lumber tree inferior, 

 but the growth is so scattered and 

 scant as to prohibit its being logged 

 under any other conditions. 



This is distinctly a tree of the 

 South, and attains its best dimen- 

 sions in the dry, barren ridges and 

 sandy bluffs near the coast and in 

 the gulf states. The specific range 

 is from eastern Louisiana to North 

 Carolina in the East as a northern 

 extremity, and to Cape Malabar and 

 Peace Creek as the southern limit. 

 The growth toward the western bor- 

 der of this section is scant, but as 

 it progresses eastward becomes 

 more prolific, and along the water- 

 ways in South Carolina is fairly 

 abundant but of no considerable 

 size. 



The name turkey oak is attributed 

 to the fact that the wild turkeys of 

 the south country find the acorn an 

 abundant source of food and con- 

 sume large quantities. The tree 

 bears this common name in Florida, 

 Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and 

 Louisiana; it is known as scrub oak 

 in North Carolina, South Carolina, 

 Florida and Mississippi, and as black 

 jack, barren scrub oak and forked 

 leaf black jack in South Carolina. 

 It apparently has no intimate con- 

 nection with any other species, and 

 has a distinctive, more or less tri- 

 angular leaf which makes its identi- 

 fication almost unmistakable. 



The best specimens of the tree 

 •often attain considerable height. 

 The one shown in this connection 

 compares favorably with very good 

 specimens of cow oak and southern 

 red oak found in the same section. 

 The usual growth, however, is much 

 smaller and a fair size is fifty or 

 sixty feet in height and two feet in 

 diameter. The usual form of the 

 tree is more or less scrubby, the branches 

 being -heavy and forming a narrow and ir- 

 regular head. The usual height is about 

 twenty or thirty feet. The branches are 

 divided into heavy twigs, which at first are 

 coated with a sort of a fuzz, but later be- 

 come smooth and a dark red, and finally 

 ■when mature a deep brown. 



EIGHTY-EIGHTH PAPER 

 Turkey Oak 



Qucniis CutCfibfri — iUehs.. 



As stated, the leaves are triangular or 

 wedge shaped, the base being sharp and 

 narrow. The lobes are formed by deeply 

 cut sinuses and are long and narrow with- 

 out much taper as a rule and terminate in 

 sharp minor lobes. There are usually from 

 three to five divisions of the leaves. Whcu 



iTICAL FOREST GROWTH TURKEY OAK. NORTl 

 WESTERN MISSISSirPI. 



mature they are thick and firm, of a bright 

 yellow-green color above, the lower side 

 being still lighter and very shiny. Along the 

 axis can be seen rusty-colored tufts of hair. 

 The staminate flowers are in aments, four 

 and five inches long, on red stems, and the 

 pistillate flowers on heavy peduncles. The 

 fruit or acorn is usually solitary and grows 



on a short, stout stem. The nut itself is oval 

 in shape and about one inch in length and is 

 covered about one-third of the length by the 

 cup, which is delicate, of light brown color 

 and shiny on the inside. The scales project 

 along the upper edge and form a scalloped 

 rim. 



Of the wood of this species it can 

 be said that it is fairly hard, ex- 

 cept where it grows under such con- 

 ditions as produce rapid growth and 

 consequent open texture. Under 

 usual conditions, however, it is, as 

 stated, hard, heavy and fairly 

 strong, and the grain is about the 

 same as prevails in the northern red 

 oak. The color is light brown of a 

 reddish tinge and as usual the sap- 

 wood is lighter in color and is fair- 

 ly thick. Where it is produced com- 

 mercially and cut as lumber the 

 trees attain fair size, and the wood 

 possesses the open structure and 

 weak inferior qualities mentioned. 

 The figure is very common and ren- 

 ders the wood not at all desirable 

 for fine work of any kind. Outside 

 of its use as fuel, there is no con- 

 siderable utilization of this species 

 except for the manufacture of cheap 

 furniture and for backing and sim- 

 ilar uses where it will not be dis- 

 played to any extent. The lumber 

 is as a rule inferior in appearance 

 when sawn, and the boards run very 

 poor as to grade. 



The accompanying illustration was 

 made from a photograph taken by 

 the editor of Hardwood Eecord on 

 the property of the Carrier Lumber & 

 Manufacturing Company, at Sardis, 

 Miss. 

 Innovation in Seasoning Lumber 

 A Frenchman recently devised a more 

 or less startling method of rapid season- 

 in" of lumber for uses where redrymg 

 iu°the shortest space of time is neces- 

 sary. Electricity is the agency em- 

 ployed and the method is known as No- 

 don-Brottountan. The timber is par- 

 tially immersed in water in which is a 

 ten per cent solution of borax and five 

 per cent rosin, a little carbonate of soda, 

 and rests on a lead plate connected with 

 the positive pole of a dynamo. The neg- 

 ative pole is connected in a similar man- 

 ner with the exposed surface of the tim- 

 ber, and thus a current of electricity 

 can be run through the flbers'of the wood, and 

 it is said that in this way all the sap appears to 

 be removed, the borax and rosin displacing it in 

 the pores. The process requires, according to the 

 correspondent, but a few hours, and is then taken 

 out and dried — this process is not specifically 

 described. The seasoning is then complete. 



A wise man suppresses fully two-thirds of hl3 

 opinions. 



