FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION 423 



poses, especially when they have been neglected and the trees are 

 knotty, or when fire has been allowed to run over the ground; but 

 where good timber is plentiful, much that is suitable for lumber, 

 cross-ties, cooperage, and similar purposes is cut for fuel. A little 

 more than 20 billion cubic feet of wood in all forms is used in the 

 United States each year, and of this 7 billion cubic feet, about a third, 

 is firewood. The amount of wood consumed as fuel is exceeded only 

 by that put into the form of lumber and shingles. Of the total 

 estimated consumption of firewood, 70 million cords, or 81.4 per 

 cent, was used on the farms; 12,615,000 cords, or 14.7 per cent in 

 the towns and cities with a population of from 1,000 to 30,000; 

 1,615,000 cords, or 1.9 per cent, in cities of over 30,000 population; 

 and the remainder, or 2 per cent, in mineral operations. In these 

 four classes of consumption, the average value per cord ranged from 

 $2.61 for the firewood used on the farms to $6.88 for that used in 

 the cities. The value of commercial timber is now so great that as 

 a matter of good husbandry in cutting his firewood the farmer 

 will select those trees which have the least value as merchantable 

 timber. He will also utilize the waste of the woodlot as firewood. 

 (F. S. Cir. 181.) 



Pole Timber. There are several qualities which timber must 

 possess to adapt it to use for poles. The most important of these 

 are : Durability in contact with the soil, minimum weight, straight- 

 ness coupled with relatively small size, and little taper. The wood 

 must be soft, so that the spikes of a climber may enter readily, 

 and at the same time it must have strength to support considerable 

 weight. These qualities are admirably combined in cedar and in 

 juniper, which commercially is a cedar. No other woods possess so 

 many. 



Chestnut and cypress are both durable ; chestnut is not so straight 

 as cedar and is liable to be knotty. The wood, though soft, is not as 

 soft as cedar. It has greater strength, but this advantage is more than 

 counterbalanced by its greater weight, which prohibits long ship- 

 ments. Cypress frequently is too large for use as a pole and has 

 greater value for lumber. Even when its general diameter is small 

 enough the butt will often be so big that it adds too much weight. 

 Pine, besides being heavier than cedar, is less durable. Redwood 

 possesses durability, lightness, and softness, but its size necessitates 

 sawing, which adds to the cost. (F. S. Bui. 77.) 



Fence-Post Trees. The best commercial fence-post trees to 

 plant are the hardy catalpa, black locust, osage orange, Russian 

 mulberry, Europe larch, and chestnut. To obtain the best com- 

 mercial results none of these trees should be used outside of their 

 economic planting range. Of the natural forests the oak and red 

 cedar, even though more expensive than many others, are consid- 

 ered in many sections the most economic fence-post trees. (F. S. 

 Cir. 69.) 



Cross-Tie Timber. Oak, the chief wood used for ties, fur- 

 nishes more than 44 per cent, nearly one-half of the whole number, 

 while the southern pines, which rank second, contribute about 



