54 



Trees, Stars, and Birds 



common, also is recom- 

 mended for planting, 

 but it is more likely to 

 be damaged by insects. 

 Properties and uses 

 of ash wood. Since 

 ash is strong, elastic, 

 and not very heavy, it 

 is a valuable wood for 

 oars, bats, handles of 

 hoes, rakes, and pitch- 

 forks, and for various 

 parts of wagons, rail- 

 way-car frames, and 

 agricultural imple- 

 ments. White ash and 

 blue ash produce the 

 best timber, when a 

 high degree of strength and elasticity is required. By 

 the elasticity of a wood is meant its power to spring 

 back after it has been bent. 



For ball bats and some other purposes second-growth 

 trees are valued much more than those which formed 

 part .of the original forest. Which do you think grew 

 faster? Contrary to what you might think, the more 

 rapidly growing trees produce the tougher wood. This 

 is because the wood is ring-porous, and the faster the 

 tree grows the thicker the layers of firm summerwood 

 will be and the farther apart the rings of weak, porous 

 springwood will be placed. 

 The mountain ash. The foliage of the mountain 



U. S. Forest Service 



FIG. 33. A white ash that grew in the 

 open. Note the difference in the trunk of 

 this tree and that of the tree shown in 

 Figure 3 2. 



