TIMBER OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA 93 



does not break short, but has little resilience ; can be easily 

 bent when steamed, and when properly dried will hold to 

 its shape. The annual rings are not distinctly marked, 

 medullary rays fine and numerous. 



Weight when well seasoned about 32 Ibs. per cubic foot. 



The demand for this timber has increased rapidly of late 

 years owing to its being obtained cheaply and in wide 

 boards, and it is largely filling the place of poplar and 

 cottonwood in the United States. Large quantities, chiefly 

 of the better grades, are exported. A great deal is used in 

 the furniture trade of Great Britain for the cheaper class of 

 bedroom furniture, also for inside fittings, stair newels, etc., 

 and much of it is cut for veneer ; one American sewing 

 machine company uses 15,000,000 board feet a year, chiefly 

 in the making of tables ; the wood is built up of three T 3 g inch 

 pieces laid crossways to each other to prevent warping, and 

 the top is generally finished off with oak or other veneer. 

 It is also used forbarrels, and a good deal of the commoner 

 timber for flooring in America, for which use it is found to 

 be fairly satisfactory, as it is not subject to atmospheric 

 changes in such a position ; also for coffin boards, mould- 

 ings, mop and broom handles, etc. It polishes well. The 

 sapwood is chiefly used in the manufacture of packing cases, 

 but some planks of it are said to have come to the English 

 market recently as " hazel pine." 



The chief objection to the timber is its great tendency 

 to warp and twist it is almost as bad in this respect as elm, 

 but this can be overcome with care and proper handling ; 

 it requires a long time to season, at least twelve months, 

 though this partly depends upon the size. The timber got 

 a bad name when it came to England some years ago and 

 was used for paving and proved a failure ; the same difficulty 

 to a certain extent occurred when the Australian paving 

 blocks were first put on the market, and has been overcome. 



