OUR NATIVE WOODS. 



REST H. METCALF. 



HOW many different varieties of 

 wood are there in your own 

 town? If you never have con 

 sidered this question you will 

 be surprised at the variety, and, I 

 am sure, will enjoy making a collection 

 for yourself. A pretty cabinet size is 

 two inches in length and the same in 

 diameter. This size is very convenient, 

 unless you have an abundance of room, 

 and will show fibre, grain, and color 

 quite distinctly. If you will plane off 

 two sides of the block you will see the 

 grain plainly, and, if possible to polish 

 one side, you will see what a beautiful 

 finish some of our own woods will 

 take. 



All that is necessary in obtaining 

 your collection is a small saw, but a 

 congenial companion will greatly add 

 to your pleasure. Saw your specimen 

 considerably longer than you call for 

 after it is prepared, for most of the 

 varieties will check in drying; then let 

 it thoroughly dry before preparing for 

 your collection. The fruit trees around 

 your home may first take your atten 

 tion. You will be interested in noting 

 the differences in the grain of the ap 

 ple, apricot, barberry, cherry, pear, 

 peach, plum, and quince; and while 

 you are becoming interested in the 

 fruit trees, notice the variety of birds 

 that visit the different trees, for you will 

 find each bird has its favorite fruit and 

 favorite nesting-place. The mountain 

 ash will perhaps feed as many birds in 

 the fall and winter as any tree, and is 

 a pretty tree for the lawn, holding 

 its place with the maples, the ever 

 graceful elm, admired by all, except the 

 man who is trying to split it into fire 

 wood, and a favorite with the Balti 

 more oriole. If you wonder why the 

 horse chestnut was so named, just 

 examine the scars after the leaves fall 

 and you will think it rightly named. 

 Who has not tried carrying a horse 

 chestnut in his pocket to prevent rheu 

 matism? The weeping birch, as well 

 as the weeping maple, are much ad 

 mired for shade and ornamentation, 



but are not very common. We were 

 told recently that the Lombardy pop 

 lar was coming back as a tree for our 

 lawns, but many prefer the balm-of- 

 gilead, so popular for its medicinal 

 qualities. In the United States there 

 are thirty-six varieties of the oak; 

 you will find several in your own town 

 and I trust will add a collection of 

 acorns to your cabinet, and friends 

 from the South and West will help 

 make your collection a complete one. 

 Then you will become interested in 

 the cone-bearing trees and a variety 

 of cones will also be added to your 

 evergrbwing collection, you will enjoy 

 gathering some green cones and listen 

 ing to the report as the seed chambers 

 open, and if you gather a small vial of 

 the common pine and hemlock seeds 

 you will puzzle many a friend. One 

 person remarked, when shown a vial 

 of hemlock seed, "O yes, I have seen 

 something like that, that came from 

 Palestine, but I have forgotten the 

 name." Some of the fir trees are pitted 

 with holes where the woodpeckers in 

 sert grub-bearing acorns, leaving the 

 grub to fatten, and in the fullness of 

 time devouring it. Then the trees 

 bearing edible nuts will call for their 

 share of attention. The chestnut is 

 familiar to all, as well as the butternut 

 and hazelnut, but I knew one collector 

 who called an ash tree butternut. 

 There are twelve varieties of ash in 

 our country, a wood that is coming 

 more and more into prominence, and 

 deservedly so; its toughness is pro 

 verbial, and it has long been utilized by 

 carriage-makers for certain parts of 

 wheels. A fine, handsome wood, com 

 bining in itself the qualities of oak 

 and pine. 



There are eighteen varieties of wil 

 low, several of the alder, but through 

 out the United States there is only one 

 kind of beech. The ironwood is often 

 wrongly called the beech. Thehard and 

 soft pine are interesting trees. The soft 

 especially is a favorite for the sawyer, a 

 beetle with long horns, who cuts large 



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