432 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



^ 



EQUIPMENT FOR A UrXiUU 



Tl:e hunter piepares for game in the air, on the water, and on the land, 

 travel; a take-down rifle for large animals; a pistol for close quarters; 

 geese and cranes, and wood forms an essential part in all of these arti< 



Canoe and paddles are for water 

 specialized calls to decoy ducks. 



possess qualities much 

 alike. In order to un- 

 derstand and appreciate 

 these (|ualities, it is 

 proper to compare them 

 with other very strong, 

 hard, and heavy woods. 



Among the woods in 

 this list, persimmon is 

 unsurpassed in strength, 

 hardness and weight. 

 Dogwood falls a little 

 below persimmon in 

 some of these qualities, 

 but rates above all other 

 woods of the United 

 States with few excep- 

 tions. The golf club 

 must have weight in 

 order to deliver the 

 player's blow most ef- 

 fectively. It must have 

 hardness and strength to 

 withstand the impact. 



Good tennis rackets 

 require choice woods. 

 Strength is furnished by 

 the bentwood rim or 

 bow, which is 

 ash or hickory, 

 serviceable but 



usually 

 Elm is 



usually infeiior to that from trees growing from nuts. 

 '1 he user of a hickory golf club handle is told many things 

 regarding the growth and character of the wood, and 

 some of the claims are more fiction than fact. The 

 riain point is thai hickory is unsurpassed as golf shaft 

 Tiiaterial, but it should not be forge tten that there are 

 many grades and qualities of this wood. 



The shaft is not the only wooden part of the golf 

 club. The head is as important as the handle, but no 

 more inqjortant. All handles are of wood, but some 

 heads are metal, others of wood and some partly of 

 ivory. The wooden head only 

 falls within the scope of this 

 article. Several woods are 

 available, maple, birch, beech. 

 lignum-vitae, dogwood, and 

 l)ersimmon. In this country 

 the best heads are understood 

 to be made of dogwood and 

 l)ersimmon. The head's con- 

 tact with the balls, when the 

 club is driven with all the force 

 that a strong man can give it. 

 tries severely the strength and 

 toughness of wood. If it is not 

 first class, it flies to splinters. 



Dogwood and persimmnii 



as equal to that 

 counts for much. 



Wood 

 Dogwood. . . . 

 Persimmon. 

 Hornbeam.. 

 Shagbark. 



Its ap- 

 pearance is not regarded 

 of hickory or ash, and appearance 



WEIGHT TABLE 



Strength 

 l?,30a 

 23,700 

 18,600 

 22,600 



Hardness 

 2,530 

 3,180 

 3,390 



1,190 



Weight 

 52 

 63 

 49 

 

 44 



Shrinkage, 

 Per Cent of 

 Green Bulk 



19.9 



18.3 



11.6 



13.7 



IS .2 



Beech 15,000 



The rim affords an anchorage for the whangs or laces 

 which form an essential part of the racket. The handle 

 is of lighter wood, or frequently two woods appear in 

 the handle, one of light color, one of dark, to give 



WOODEX BIRDS E.Ml'LOVED AS DECOYS 



The hunttr who bides his time till the open season arrives for water birds, depends upon decoys to lure 

 the ducks, geese and cranes within range of his fowlingpiece. He expects to work from amljuscades and 

 concealment. Decoy birds are generally made of cedar wood, that being light and durable. 



