590 INDUSTRIAL USES OF WOOD. 



maple, lime and poplar, etc.) are used, but the wood for 

 sounding-boards is of a special kind. For this only coniferous 

 wood is used, chiefly spruce, more rarely silver-fir. 



The simple anatomical construction of sprucewood and the 

 absence of vessels, the extremely fine, evenly distributed 

 medullary rays, the straight and long-fibred nature of the 

 wood, and above all its uniform structure, render it most suit- 

 able of all woods for reverberating pure tones. Such wood 

 must have narrow and uniform annual zones, must have no 

 knots, contain little resin, be straight-fibred and of low 

 specific gravity, 0*40 to 0'45. The best wood for musical 

 instruments should have zones between 1'5 and 2 mm., and 

 the summer-wood J to of the zone. Trees producing such 

 wood grow in mountain-regions at altitudes between 2,500 

 and 4,500 feet above sea-level, on cool and not too fertile 

 localities. They are grown generally in selection forests, 

 where the trees get little room for development, until they 

 are middle-aged, but more room as old trees. 



Bubenbach in the Schwartzenberg property, the ranges of 

 Tuffet, Neutal and Schattawa in the Bohmerwald, also the 

 Bavarian forest, in the St. Oswald, Manth, and other ranges, 

 the Bavarian Alps, ranges of Fischert and Trumenstadt, and 

 the French Jura and Alps are renowned for the production of 

 this wood, also Lemberg in Galicia, and North America. The 

 trees are sawn into quarters, and then along the radius, into 

 planks | inch thick ; they are seasoned, planed, and sorted 

 according to their tones. Kecently, attempts have been made 

 to produce such wood artificially by glueing together thin 

 veneers of wood by means of turpentine, shellac, gum, etc., 

 and pressing it into planks. 



Straight-grained beechwood in planks 1J inches thick is 

 used largely for pianos, being cut along the radius, which 

 prevents it warping as much as ordinary beechwood. 



Many foreign woods are used for piano-cases mahogany, 

 American walnut and maple, padauk, satinwood, etc., ebony 

 for keys, and Florida-cedar for the hammers. Woods similar 

 to those in use for pianos are also employed for harmoniums 

 and organs. 



Venetian blinds and shutters use up much light wood, 



