Boxes and Crates, Packing 47 
Almost any kind of wood can be used in some form or other 
for crates, the principal recommendation being that it is cheap, 
light, and capable of holding nails without splitting. Strength, 
while desirable, is not the first requisite of a box material. In 
New York, white pine naturally combines all the qualities of 
good box wood and contributes over 40 per cent of the raw 
material consumed by this industry. Only 10,000,000 feet 
of the white pine is grown within the State, while over 120,- 
000,000 feet is now imported. With a few exceptions, the 
dominant species in any locality contributes most of the 
material going into boxes. While white pine leads in New 
York, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and Michigan, it is noticeable 
that in other States, like Virginia and North Carolina, southern 
yellow pine contributes the larger amount to the industry. In 
Louisiana, where longleaf pine is the principal species, it con- 
tributes most to the box industry. In Kentucky and Arkansas 
red gum leads all others. This utilization of the most abund- 
ant species in a community clearly indicates that the industry 
does not demand special qualities in woods, but utilizes the 
nearest suitable wood that is cheap and abundant. In New 
York other important local woods contributing to the industry 
are spruce, hemlock, basswood, cottonwood, hard maple, beech, 
bireh, chestnut, and elm. Yellow pine is the principal wood 
shipped into the State for boxes, the contribution amounting 
to 101,000,000 feet annually. As will be noted, the first five 
species are softwoods. Softwoods are generally of sufficient 
strength for shipping cases and have the additional advantages 
of being light, easily worked, and comparatively free from 
shrinking and warping. In some respects white pine excels 
lobolly and shortleaf as a box material. Although not par- 
ticularly strong, it tends to dent rather than to break or split 
‘upon impact. For this reason it was formerly used by the 
Army for ammunition cases and is now used for shipping cases 
for Government transits. It is not so resinous and hence is 
better for shipping foodstuffs; its color, being nearly white, 
is admirable for the display of brands and firm names on pack- 
ages; and it is more workable than the other species. New 
