41 



ant, especially in the northeastern, northern, and western portions of the 

 State, where are located most of the 800 or more mills that report cutting it. 

 Pennsylvania produces more beech lumber than any other state east of the 

 Ohio river, and in this respect stands third in importance in the United 

 States. It is quite surprising that so large a quantity of low grade beech 

 lumber, such as is used by the box makers, was shipped in, if one considers 

 that the cut of this wood in Pennsylvania exceeds the consumption of home- 

 grown wood by over 22,000,000 feet. The wood of the beech tree is not first 

 class lumber like its associates, the maples and birches. It is usually cross- 

 grained, not durable, difficult to season, and frequently warps and checks 

 when in place, even after it has been thoroughly dried. It is, however, 

 strong, hard, and moderately stiff, and these qualities combined, together 

 with the fact that it is cheap, make it desirable for a great number of uses. 

 It is especially adapted for turning stock and for that reason it is one of the 

 leading woods appearing in the chair industry and in the making of brooms and 

 mop handles. The planing mills use it largely for flooring, but for this 

 purpose it is not in so great demand in this State as in the New England 

 states, where a large quantity of beech shipped from Pennsylvania is used, 

 being preferred to the New England wood owing to its better quality. The 

 brush makers want large quantities of beech for scrubbing and other cheap 

 brush blocks, while the woodenware and toy makers demand it in large 

 ouantities for many special uses. It is- the most important wood for 

 laundry appliances, especially for clothes pins, for which it is used probably 

 in larger quantities in the country at large than any other wood. 



Table 25. Consumption of Beech, year ending June, 1912. 



