ECONOMIC USES. 



The wood of the white ash is of great economic value. Wood 

 from second-growth trees is usually more tough and elastic than that 

 of the large, slowly grown first growth. Its most valuable qualities 

 are strength and elasticity, and these combined with its ability to 

 take a good polish and to season without injury make it a timber of 

 first rank for furniture, car, and vehicle construction, interior wood- 

 work, agricultural implements, and tools. 



It is fairly durable in contact with the soil and is used for post 

 timber. Because of its rapid growth, comparative freedom from dis- 

 ease, and ease of propagation white ash is certain to remain a favorite 

 tree for ornamental planting. Where it thrives it is preferred to any 

 other species of ash, but in regions of drought and extreme tempera- 

 tures green ash should be selected in preference to white ash. 



METHODS OF PROPAGATION. 



Propagation is by seed, produced abundantly about once in three 

 to five years, though individual trees along streams or in favorable 

 open situations fruit more frequently. Natural reproduction is not 

 abundant. The one-winged fruit ripens in October. It may be 

 sown as soon as gathered or preserved for spring planting by strati- 

 fying in damp sand. If stratified, the seed should be mixed with 

 about 3 parts of sand to 1 of seed and placed in a box in a cool cellar. 

 Hand picking, although slow, is the most reliable method of collecting 

 the seed, which can be gathered easiest from the low, open-grown, and 

 most productive trees. Since the seeds of the several species of ash 

 are similar in appearance, samples should be sent to the Seed Labora- 

 tory of the Department of Agriculture, where they will be identified 

 and tested free. 



Broadcast sowing of ash seed on prepared or unprepared ground, 

 or planting in hills where the trees are to stand, is uncertain and un- 

 satisfactory ; therefore nursery culture is advised. The nursery and 

 seed beds may be prepared on any rich, well-worked soil, an old gar- 

 den spot being an excellent place if the soil is not full of weed seeds. 

 Planting may begin in the spring as soon as danger of frost is past. 

 For convenience in weeding, it is recommended that the seed be sown 

 in drills 8 to 12 inches apart for hand cultivation and 2 to 3 feet apart 

 for a horse cultivator. Since the germination per cent is low, the 

 seeds should be dropped so thickly that they will touch each other in 

 the row. They should be covered about one-half inch deep and the 

 soil rolled firmly or pressed down by a board. During germination 

 moisture conditions should be kept uniform and irrigation or sprin- 

 kling resorted to in times of drought. 



[Cir. 84] 



