178 A MANUAL OF FORESTRY 



size required only old growth trees can be marketed in this way, 

 and only the better logs of these. Several companies transport 

 veneer logs considerable distances by rail. The farmer should 

 not ship logs to a veneer mill without first ascertaining how poor 

 a log will be accepted. Standard log lengths with a minimum of 

 eight feet, are usually required. Nearly all native species are 

 used for veneer. Basswood and elm veneer is chiefly used for 

 the manufacture of boxes, crates, and other packages. Birch, 

 maple, beech, and oak veneer is used in furniture and interior 

 finish. The heart of the large yellow birch is commonly called 

 " red birch " in the trade, and is used on a large scale for imitating 

 mahogany. 



Planing Mill Products. Most of the sugar maple, yellow 

 birch and beech cut in New England is used for planing mill 

 products, mainly for flooring. The birch and maple are particu- 

 larly adapted to this purpose. While beech wears well, it is used 

 more for factory and mill flooring than in private residences. 

 Only the better grades, those free from defects, are suitable for 

 this purpose. For this reason, only old growth trees are at 

 present used. Flooring is usually made in connection with other 

 products, so that the poorer and smaller pieces can be used in 

 their manufacture. 



Sounding Boards and Clapboards. The manufacture of piano 

 sounding boards is important in some sections because it offers 

 the best market for very high-grade spruce. Old spruce trees 

 which have made an even and fairly good growth, and are abso- 

 lutely free from knots have a quality of resiliency which especially 

 commends it for violin stock and sounding boards. This market 

 for spruce corresponds somewhat with the veneer market for 

 hardwoods. Clapboard manufacture requires spruce next in 

 quality to that used in sounding boards. Clapboards are made 

 by sawing radially in toward the center of a log, and the log 

 must, therefore, have a diameter greater than the width of two 

 clapboards, for a core is left in the center which is held by 

 the machine. Only old growth logs are merchantable for this 

 purpose. In many localities the butt logs are used for this 



