150 Forestry Quarterly. 



This species, Nyssa aquatica, is also 

 Utilisation known as Tupelo Gum, Cotton Gum, Sour 



of Gum, Large Tupelo, Swamp Tupelo, and 



Tupelo Gum. Wild Olive tree. The tupelo has an ex- 

 tended commercial range in eleven states, 

 and produced twice as much lumber in 1907 as in 1905. The 

 tree attains a diameter of 3 to 4 feet and a height of 65 to 90 feet. 

 It is chiefly associated with cypress. 



The wood is close grained, compact, with thin, numerous me- 

 dullary rays, of a light brown or often nearly a white color. 



Early settlers generally let tupelo alone. In a list of the uses 

 of this wood published a century ago was large wooden bowls, 

 wagon beds, hubs for heavy wagons and one-piece cart wheels. 

 The wood was one of the first substitutes for Yellow Poplar. 

 For 200 years Yellow Poplar was the principal stock for tobacco 

 hogsheads but increased prices have caused a large use of Tulip 

 Poplar. Plug tobacco boxes which were once made almost ex- 

 clusively from sycamore are now largely made from Tulip Pop- 

 lar. A comparatively large amount is exported to Europe as 

 square timber where it is resawed and used for interior finish. 



The amount of veneer cut from this species in 1907 was about 

 15 million feet or about 4 times as much as black walnut. Veneer 

 trunk makers prefer it to all other woods because it may be had 

 in sizes large enough for the largest trunks. It is especially de- 

 sired as backs for mirrors when 3 or more sheets are glued to- 

 gether. Occasionally it is used for outside finish. 



Tupelo floors in warehouses and factories are claimed to wear 

 smoother and longer than oak or maple. It is also used for pump 

 logs, conduits, tramways, sills for lumber trucks, piano cases, 

 piano tops, carriage bodies, many kinds of furniture, crates, bas- 

 kets, boxes, packing cases of grills, coffins, sounding boards for 

 musical instruments, slack cooperage, turned table legs, spindles, 

 balustrades, posts, columns, plasterers' laths, picture frames and 

 its cord-like roots are occasionally substituted for cork on fish 

 nets and bicycle handles. 



The Tupelo Gum has few insect enemies but often decays 

 quickly from fungus attacks. It takes preservative treatment 

 readily and a large part of its future use may be for cross ties, 

 cross arms, posts, poles, mine timbers, shingles, pump logs and 



