THE USES OF WOOD 



535 



basswood, suffice for the boxes of that class. The tend- 

 ency is to substitute veneer for lumber, and three-ply 

 sheets are much used, with reinforcing strips at the 

 edges of the 

 boxes to pro- 

 tect the ex- 

 posed parts. 

 Less advertis- 

 ing is done on 

 the outside of 

 boxes of that 

 class than on 

 those carrying 

 food ; yet sten- 

 c i 1 i n g and 

 other lettering 

 are employed, 

 and the colors 

 of the woods 

 should be light 

 enough to 

 show contrasts 

 with the ink 

 or paint. 

 Formerly 

 nearly all 

 boots and 

 shoes were 

 carried from 

 factory to 

 market in 

 wooden boxes, 

 largely of 

 white pine, 

 but boxes of 

 fiber board 

 have now dis- 

 placed many- 

 wooden boxes 

 for shoes. 



The distinc- 

 tion between 

 boxes and bas- 

 kets is not al- 

 ways apparent, 

 when both are 

 of wood, but 

 the shape often 

 helps to deter- 

 mine whether 

 a container is 

 a basket or a 

 box. The bas- 

 ket is usually 

 lighter and is 

 of more open 

 construction 

 and it is gener- 

 ally preferred 



CHIEF BOX TIMBER OF THE PACIFIC COAST 

 Western yellow pine is often marketed as California white pine. Botanically, it is yellow pine, but is very 

 soft and white. It supplies more box lumber than any other species west of the Rocky Mountains, though 

 Sitka spruce bids fair to be a strong competitor in the near future, and sugar pine has long been a competitor. 



as a shipping container by truck gardeners and the 

 growers of berries and small fruits. Veneer is in much 

 use either as sheets for berry cups or in splints for 



baskets. Wood 

 of almost any 

 description, 

 provided it is 

 sound, can be 

 used in basket 

 making, be- 

 cause pieces 

 are small. 

 Nearly any 

 wood is strong 

 enough, and 

 color is not 

 important, nor 

 is odor usually 

 an objection 

 or an advant- 

 age. The ar- 

 ticles range in 

 size from the 

 banana crate 

 which holds 

 more than a 

 bushel, down 

 to the berry 

 cup of a ca- 

 pacity of a pint 

 or less. 



Along some 

 lines baskets 

 are not clearly 

 distinguishable 

 f r o in crates, 

 but elsewhere 

 the distinction 

 i s complete. 

 Furniture, 

 hardware, 

 slabs of stone, 

 as well as in- 

 numerable 

 other articles 

 and commodi- 

 ties which are 

 liable to injury 

 in transporta- 

 tion, are ship- 

 ped in crates. 

 The finished 

 crates may be 

 made in quan- 

 tities in fac- 

 tories, or they 

 may be put to- 

 gether one by 

 one, as needed, 



