146 THE BOOK OF FORESTRY 



value on account of their cross grain and the difficulty 

 experienced in seasoning them. Investigation proved, 

 however, that after steaming, these logs could be sliced 

 into thin sheets which would serve very well in the 

 manufacture of berry crates, baskets, trunks, etc. 



The use of veneer for crates, barrels and baskets is 

 comparatively recent and has made certain species rise 

 in value. An idea of the extent of the veneer industry 

 may be obtained when it is realized that all together 

 500,000,000 board feet of lumber are annually used 

 for this purpose in the United States. 



Additional uses of forest products might be men- 

 tioned, such as the manufacture of excelsior from pop- 

 lar and basswood trees, or the use of oak or tamarack 

 for ship knees and timbers. Certain trees and shrubs 

 furnish flavoring extracts and medicinal oils but the 

 distillation of birch oil and witch hazel extract are in- 

 dustries of decidedly local importance. The fruit of the 

 wild cherry and chokecherry is used to make wines and 

 cordials, slippery elm bark is obtained from the tree of 

 the same name and from a Western tree called the buck- 

 thorn the drug known as cascara is obtained. 



"While doubtless the increasing use of substitutes like 

 steel and concrete will cause some reduction in the drain 

 upon the national timber supply, nevertheless, there 

 are certain demands which can be supplied only by the 

 products of the forest. From the very beginning the 

 forest has played an important part in the develop- 

 ment of this country and from present appearances it is 

 likely to do so until the end of time. 



