HOW TO TELL THE WOODS 



279 



determining what kind of wood it is but when it is 

 a block or board a sharp knife and a pocket microscope 

 are helpful, as the grain can only be properly judged 

 when sharply cut and in some instances the structure 



Courtesy H. P. Brown 



Fig. 63. Cross-section of a ring porous wood (white ash), as seen 

 through a microscope. Toward the top of the picture the large pores 

 of the early spring growth and the dense wood of the late summer 

 growth of the preceding year are seen close together. 



can only be made out with the aid of a magnifying 

 glass. 1 



1 For a complete text book on Identification of woods see 

 " Economic Woods of United States,'' by Samuel J. Kecord. 

 John Wiley & Sons. 



