WOOD. 



95 



made of it. It is almost the only material of oars, 

 blocks of pulleys, cleats, and similar naval imple- 

 ments in places where it can be obtained. 



Elm. The common American elm (ulmus Ame- 

 ricana) is valued for the toughness of its wood, 

 which does not readily split. On this account, it 

 is chiefly used for the naves of carriage wheels. 



Locust. The common locust (robinia pseudaca- 

 cto) is one of the hardest, strongest, and most valu- 

 able of American native trees. The larger pieces of 

 its timber are used in ship-building, and the smaller 

 pieces are in great request to form the treenails or 

 pins which confine the planks to the timbers. Lo- 

 cust wood is exceedingly durable, when exposed to 

 the weather, and forms excellent fuel. 



Wild cherry-tree. The wood of this tree (pru- 

 nus Virginiand) is of a deep colour, hard, durable, 

 and, when properly seasoned, very permanent in its 

 shape and dimensions. In the manufacture of cabi- 

 net work, it is sometimes used as a cheap substitute 

 for mahogany. 



Beech. The wood of the red beech (fagus fer- 

 ruyinea) is liable to decay when exposed to alter- 

 nate moisture and dryness. It does not, however, 

 readily warp, and, being smooth-grained, it is used j 

 for some minor purposes, such as the making of ' 

 planes, lasts and card-backs. It forms a very good 

 fuel. 



Bass-wood. The American linden or bass-wood- 

 tree (tilia Americana') produces a fine-grained wood, 

 which is very white, soft, light and flexible. It is 

 sometimes employed for furniture, but its chief use 

 is to form the panels of coach and chaise bodies, for 

 which its flexibility makes it well suited. 



Tulip-tree (liriodendron tulipiferd). The boards 

 of this tree are sold under the name of white-wood, 

 and erroneously under that of poplar. Its wood is 

 smooth, fine-grained, easily wrought, and not apt 

 to split. It is used for carving and ornamental 

 work, and for some kinds of furniture. 



Maple. The rock maple (acer saccharinum), and 

 several other species, afford wood which is smooth, 

 compact and hard. It is much used for cabinet 

 furniture, and is a common material for gun-stocks. 

 The wood in some of the old trunks is full of min- 

 ute irregularities, like knots. These, if cut in one 

 direction, exhibit a spotted surface, to which the 

 name of bird's eye maple is given ; while, if cut in 

 another direction, they produce a wavy or shaded 

 surface, called curled maple. This last effect, how- 

 ever, is more frequently produced by a mere ser- 

 pentine direction of the fibres. The distinctness 

 of the grain may be increased by rubbing the sur- 

 face with diluted sulphuric acid. Maple wood 

 forms a good fuel. It is not very lasting when ex- 

 posed to the weather. The sap of the rock maple, 

 and of one or two other species, yields sugar on be- 

 ing boiled. 



Birch. The white or paper birch (betula papy- 

 raced) has properties similar to those of the maple, 

 and is appropriated to the same uses. Its cuticle 

 or outer bark is made, by the Indians, into canoes. 

 The lesser white birch (B. populifolid) is a perish- 

 able tr >e of little value. The black birch (B. len- 

 to), known for its aromatic bark, affords a firm, 

 compact, dark-coloured wood, much valued for 

 furniture, and sometimes used for screws and im- 

 plements requiring strength. The yellow birch 

 (B. luted) is applied to the same uses as the last, 

 and makes good fuel. 



Pine. The pines exceed all native trees for the 

 value; and variety of their uses. The white pine 



(pinus strains') has a very tall, straight trunk, the 

 wood of which is light, soft, homogeneous, and 

 easy to work. It rs remarkably exempt from the 

 common fault of timber that of decaying in the 

 open air, and of changing its dimensions with 

 changes of weather. On these accounts, it is ex- 

 tensively employed for most of the common pur- 

 poses of timber. The pitch pine (pinus palustris 

 L.) yields vast quantities of tar and turpentine. 

 Its wood is appropriated to the same objects as 

 that of the white pine, but is harder and stronger, 

 and therefore preferred for planks, spars, floors, 

 decks, &c. Many other species of pine exist, par- 

 taking qualities like those already described, but 

 most of them harder than the white pine. 



Spruce. The black and white spruce belong to 

 the race of trees commonly called firs. They are 

 both valuable, but the black spruce {pinus nigra) 

 unites, in a peculiar degree, the qualities of strength, 

 elasticity and lightness, together with the power of 

 resisting exposure to the weather. It is much 

 sought after for the smaller spars of vessels, such 

 as the booms, yards, and topmasts. 



Hemlock. The hemlock-tree (pinus Canadensis) 

 is inferior to the other firs in quality, though it 

 grows to a large size. It is coarse-grained, often 

 twisted, and cracks and shivers with age. It fur- 

 nishes an inferior sort of boards, used in covering 

 houses. Its bark is valuable in tanning. 



White cedar. This tree (cvpressus thuyoides) 

 occupies large tracts denominated cedar swamps. 

 The wood is soft, smooth, of an aromatic smell, 

 and internally of a red colour. It is permanent in 

 shape, and very durable, and esteemed as a material 

 for fences. Large quantities of shingles are made 

 of it. It is a favourite material for wooden wares, 

 or the nicer kinds of coopers' work. 



Larch. The larch (pinus microcarpd) wood is 

 strong, elastic and durable, and is highly prized, in 

 places where a sufficient quantity can be obtained, 

 for naval and civil architecture. 



Willow. The most common kinds of salix or 

 willow is soft, light and spongy. Willow charcoal is 

 used, in the manufacture of gunpowder. The osier, 

 and some other species, with long slender shoots, 

 are extensively cultivated to form wicker work, such 

 as baskets, hampers, and the external coverings of 

 heavy glass vessels. 



Mahogany. In the manufacture of cabinet fur- 

 niture, mahogany (swietenia mahagoni) has taken 

 precedence of all other kinds of wood. Its value 

 depends not so much on its colour as on its hard- 

 ness, and the invaluable property of remaining con 

 stant in its dimensions, without warping or crack- 

 ing, for an indefinite length of time. The same 

 qualities which render it suitable for furniture have 

 given rise to its employment for the frames of 

 philosophical instruments, and of delicate machin- 

 ery. Mahogany is imported from the West Indies 

 and different parts of Spanish America. 



Box-wood. The box-tree (buxus sempervirens~) 

 wood is of a well-known yellowish colour, hard, 

 compact, smooth, tough, and not liable to crack. 

 Musical and wind instruments are commonly made 

 of it ; also mathematical measuring instruments. 

 The handles of many tools, and various articles of 

 turners' work, consist also of this material. Wood 

 engravings are cut upon the end of the grain of 

 box-wood. 



Lignum vita;. The wood of the guaiacum offici- 

 nale is employed in the arts under this name. It 

 is dark-coloured at the heart, strong, exceedingly 



