Discussion of Industries 59 
FURNITURE 
The furniture industry in the State is extremely important, 
ranking all but the three general industries of boxes, planing 
mills, and sash, doors, and general mill-work. The kinds of 
furniture referred to in Table 6 include cabinets, bookeases, 
chests, bed frames, dressers, chiffoniers, couches, folding beds, 
davenports, desks, china cabinets, toilet cabinets, buffets, file 
boards, tool chests, general bedroom furniture, sideboards, 
tables, table pedestals, wardrobes, divans, cradles, stretchers, 
filing cabinets, desks, office, bank and store furniture, library, 
school, and college furniture. 
Furniture calls for a great variety of woods of good quality. 
No industry better illustrates the natural location of wood- 
working establishments within a State capable of producing the 
raw materials needed. Most of the 29 species reported can be 
grown locally. The idle lands of the State could be producing 
this raw material. This report, however, shows but one quarter 
of the material as home-grown. 
White oak still holds the leading place, as in 1912, in quan- 
tity consumed. The wood is strong, hard, with very large pith 
rays, giving a conspicuous “ silver grain ” when quarter-sawed. 
A good deal of white oak enters the furniture trade as quartered 
stock. Although white oak is preferable in many respects to 
red oak, since it is less porous and therefore lends itself better 
to finishing processes, that feature is seldom considered by the 
ultimate purchaser. Considering the same grades, there is 
very little difference in price between these two species. 
The importance of red gum in the furniture trade is shown 
by its rise from ninth to second place. Red gum both as 
plain and quarter-sawed stock is frequently used for imitation 
mahogany and walnut which are now much in demand. Gum 
is also used as a core wood for mahogany veneer facing. The 
average cost of $81.65 per thousand, which is high in com- 
parison with other native hardwoods of similar grade, shows 
the demand for this wood, once considered a poor material, 
and also the marvelous way in which it has succeeded in com- 
petition with other vanishing species. 
