134 FAMILIAR TREES 



is an inelastic wood, to which quality, coupled with its 

 hardness, it owes its value for trenails. Acacia wood 

 is somewhat twisted in its growth, and liable to crack, 

 while the branches break off in a brittle, splintery 

 manner. It must, moreover, be noted that the good 

 qualities ascribed to this timber belong only to the 

 variety known in America as the Red Locust, 



The species has a latitudinal range from Canada 

 to Carolina, and is very variable, especially when 

 grown from seed, no less than sixteen varieties being 

 described by Loudon. Some of these may be geo- 

 graphical races. Among them are one with yellow 

 flowers, three destitute of prickles, and others with the 

 leaves curled or with nearly erect or very pendu- 

 lous branches ; but the most important distinctions 

 are those based on the colour of the wood, which may 

 be only the result of differences in soil and climate. 

 Of these there are three varieties recognised in the 

 United States : the Red Locust, with red heart- wood, 

 the most beautiful and durable timber of the three ; 

 the Green Locust, with a greenish yellow centre, Avhich 

 is the commonest ; and the White Locust, which is 

 the least valuable. It is stated that a post made of 

 Red Locust will outlast two made of the White. 



The bark remains smooth for ten or fifteen years, 

 but then becomes brown and longitudinally furrowed 

 in old trees to a considerable depth, and forming a 

 definite pattern. The branches rise slightly when first 

 springing from the nearly cylindrical main stem, but 

 then spread out horizontally, giving off an abundance 

 of secondary branches, which take a similar direction. 



The olive-brown twigs are somewhat pentagonal in 



