

WHITE PINE. 35 



and 1J inches thick, did service 160 years, and was still in such good 

 condition that the boards were relaid for flooring in a new house. 1 



The wood answers well for door and window frames, ceiling, and 

 other interior finish. Objection to the numerous knots which the 

 wood contains is occasionally made. The knots are filled with resin 

 and are often of much deeper color than the clear wood. Where 

 handsome appearance is desired, therefore, pitch pine must be care- 

 fully selected, or it will not answer. 



Makers of slack cooperage work this wood to advantage for barrel 

 headings, crates, and nail kegs. 



Vehicle manufacturers employ it for beds for wagons. Its largest 

 users are said to be blacksmiths in small country towns, who make 

 wagons as a side line and draw supplies from local sawmills. 



It serves many purposes in furniture making, chiefly, however, as 

 an inside material, since the knots are frequently considered as blem- 

 ishes. It is given place in cupboards, ice chests, kitchen cabinets, 

 tables, and as shelving and drawers in desks and clothespresses. 



Pitch pine piles are employed in the construction of wharves and 

 bridges. The wood is cut into excelsior and is made into pulp. 

 It is widely sold for fuel in brick kilns, potteries, bakeries, steam 

 engines, and for domestic purposes. 



WHITE PINE (Pinus strobus). 

 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. 



Dry weight of wood. 24 pounds per cubic foot (Sargent). 



Specific gravity. 0.385 (Sargent). 



Ash. 0.19 per cent of dry weight of wood (Sargent). 



Fuel value. 51 per cent that of white oak (Sargent). 



Breaking strength (modulus of rupture). 8,800 pounds per square inch, or 

 55 per cent that of longleaf pine (Sargent). 



Factor of stiffness (modulus of elasticity). 1,208,000 pounds per square inch, 

 or 57 per cent that of lougleaf pine (Sargent). 



Character and qualities. Light, soft, not strong, grain fine, straight and 

 even ; annual rings quite wide in young growth ; compact ; summerwood thin, 

 not conspicuous, resin passages small, not numerous or conspicuous ; medullary 

 rays numerous, thin ; color light brown, often slightly tinged with red, the sap- 

 wood nearly white; easily worked, susceptible of a good polish; heartwood 

 durable in contact with the soil. 



Crowth. Diameter from 4 to 6 feet, but larger trees were formerly found. 

 In extreme cases diameters above 7 feet have been known. The height is 

 usually from 75 to 120 feet, but individuals have been recorded nearly or quite 

 240 feet. It is doubtful if any other species east of the Rocky Mountains has 

 produced specimens of equal height. 



SUPPLY. 



White pine occurred originally in commercial quantities in Con- 

 necticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, 



1 History of the Lumber Industry in America, J. E. Defebaugh, vol. 2, p. 563. 



