WHITE PINE. 47 



expert in his line, and was supposed to be able to tell from a pine 

 tree's general appearance whether it would " rive." He was at liberty, 

 however, to test any trees he pleased by " blocking " them cutting a 

 large block out of the side of a standing tree to sample its splitting 

 properties. If it did not suit, he passed on, leaving the blocked tree 

 a prey to the next forest fire that would ignite the resin which accu- 

 mulated in and about the wound. 



The pioneer custom in Kentucky of killing buffaloes for their 

 tongues was little more wasteful than the primitive white pine 

 shingle maker's procedure. He used only a small portion of the 

 choicest part of pine trees. The sapwood, the knots, much of the 

 heart, and practically the whole trunk above the first 20 feet were 

 left in the woods to rot. It was not unusual to sacrifice a 3, 000- foot 

 tree to get 1,000 shingles throwing away fourteen-fifteenths and 

 using one-fifteenth. The introduction of shingle-making machinery 

 put a stop to that enormous waste, for the saws could make shingles 

 of knots, slabs, tops, cross grains, and all else, from stump to crown. 

 The old-style method of shingle making died hard, for the shavers 

 opposed the introduction of machines, and declared the ruination of 

 the country would follow so radical a revolution in a widespread 

 industry. 



It was sometimes found necessary to regulate by law the making 

 of shingles by the old process. Thus, in 1783, an act passed by the 

 Massachusetts Legislature provided that if a bunch of shingles fell 

 2 per cent short of the regulation length, the shingles should be seized 

 and sold for the benefit of the poor. Under the old method every 

 individual piece was counted as a shingle, and it must be approxi- 

 mately of the right length and width ; when sawed shingles came in 

 they might be any width, but every 4 inches made a shingle, and 

 a piece a foot wide counted three shingles. They were packed in 

 bunches, usually containing 250 shingles. When made by hand, two 

 kinds were produced, known as " joint " and " lap." The latter were 

 longer, with one edge thick, the other thin, and when nailed on the 

 roof the edge of one lapped over the edge of another, like weather- 

 boarding. The joint shingles were short, and were nailed edge to 

 edge, like sawed shingles. 



FURNITURE. 



White pine is not usually classed as a furniture wood with ,oak, 

 cherry, birch, maple, and mahogany, yet large quantities of it are 

 made into furniture, and have been so made for 200 years. Articles 

 of furniture wholly of this wood are now unusual, but it enters into 

 many parts. It is often found as shelving in bookcases, cabinets, 

 cupboards, presses, and as tops for kitchen tables. For drawing 

 tables and boards it is still the most available wood. The cost of the 



