76 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood light, soft, close-grained, compact, 

 not strong, easily worked and one of the most durable of our timbers in 

 contact with the soil, strongly and pleasantly odorous, of a dull-red color 

 inclining somewhat to purple and fading on exposure to a purplish- 

 brown; sap-wood thin and whitish. Specific Gravity, 0.4926; Per- 

 centage of Ash) 0.13; Relative Approximate Fuel Value, 0.492; Coef- 

 ficient of Elasticity, 66992; Modulus of Rupture, 740; Resistance to Longi- 

 tudinal Pressure, 416; Resistance to Indentation, 148; Weight of a Cubic 

 Foot in Pounds, 30.70. 



USES. This is the timber from which lead-pencil cases are almost 

 exclusively made. Its great durability in contact with the soil ranks it 

 as -probably the best of our timbers for fence posts, railway ties, sills, 

 etc., when large enough. It is used to some extent in interior finish, 

 and for caskets and cabinet work. For bureau drawers and the like it 

 is particularly suited, owing to the fact that its odor tends to keep away 

 moths. 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES. The tops, i. e. the leaves and twigs, of this 

 tree possess stimulant, anthelmintic and other properties. Made into 

 a cerate and applied externally it acts as a valuable irritant. It is some- 

 times substituted for the European Savine, but is less effectual in its 

 action. The berries possess diuretic properties.* 



*U. &. Dispensatory, 15th ed., pp. 392 and 1253-4. 



