The Trees of Vermont 231 



Basswood 

 Tiiia americana L. 



Characteristics. — Bark thick, dark gray or brownish, deeply 

 furrowed into broad, scaly ridges ; inner bark fibrous and tough ; sap- 

 wood thick, light red-brown, hardly distinguishable from the heart- 

 wood; diffuse-porous; growth rings rather narrow, but distinct; pores 

 all the same sizes or nearly so, rather evenly distributed ; rays numer- 

 ous, obscure; wood-parenchyma cells forming continuous or somewhat 

 broken, tangential lines or bands, alternating with wood elements in a 

 tier-like arrangement ; vessels with spirals. 



Qualities. — Light in weight, 28 pounds per cubic foot, seasoned ; 

 very soft ; very weak ; shrinkage 6 percent ; very straight- and close- 

 grained ; warps comparatively little ; not durable in contact with the 

 soil ; somewhat tough to split and nails well ; very easily worked. 



Uses. — Carriage and wagon bodies ; woodenware, boxes, toys, 

 numerous small articles, etc. 



Red Oak 

 Quercus rubra L. 



Characteristics. — Bark gray-brown, smooth or shallowly fissured 

 into thin, firm, broad ridges ; inner bark light red ; sapwood thin, darker 

 than the light red-brown heartwood ; ring-porous ; growth rings rather 

 wide, distinctly marked by several rows of very large pores in the 

 spring wood ; pores of summer wood arranged in radial, branching 

 lines, diminishing in size toward outer limits of the summer wood; 

 wood parenchyma grouped irregularly around the pores ; rays few, but 

 mostly broad and conspicuous ; vessels without spirals. 



Qualities. — Rather heavy, 45 pounds per cubic foot, seasoned; 

 fairly hard; rather strong; shrinkage 6-10 percent; warps and checks 

 badly ; coarse-grained ; moderately durable in contact with the soil ; 

 splits readily and nails badly. 



Uses. — Furniture, interior finish, cooperage, agricultural imple- 

 ments, fuel, etc. 



