THE SYCAMORES 



149 



One of the most desirable characteristics of sycamore 

 wood is the fact that it neither stains nor imparts odor 

 or taste to substances that come into contact with it. 

 This quahty, together with its neat appearance, makes it 

 particularly suitable for use in the manufacture of con- 

 tainers. 



While sycamore is not one of the principal lumber 

 woods of the country, yet fully a thousand sawmills are 

 annually working it up for the market. In the state of 

 Indiana alone 150 mills report the use of sycamore, and 

 in Ohio at least 100 sawmills are working it up into 

 lumber. 



The latest statistics show that more than 35,ooo,cxx) 

 board feet are cut annually. About one-half of the total 

 cut is used in the manufacture of boxes and crates. The 

 next largest use is for slack cooperage. It has long been 

 the favorite wood for boxes for plug tobacco, which is 

 easily stained and acquires an unpleasant taste and odor 

 from most other woods. 



The principal supply of sycamore lumber comes from 

 the region lying between West Virginia and Missouri 

 and the states of Wisconsin and Tennessee. The greatest 

 supply is located along the river bottoms of the Ohio 

 and Mississippi Valleys and along the main tributary 

 to these rivers. 



Just how much sycamore lumber remains in this coun- 

 try is difficult to estimate. It is evident, however, that 

 there is less now than formerly, for it is a bottomland 

 tree and originally occurred in the fertile valleys which 

 have been cleared for agriculture. It seems, however, as 

 if a future supply is assured, for there remain vast areas 



BERKS COUNTY CONSERVATIONISTS . 



Leading men of Berks County at the foot of the Champion 

 Berks County Sycamore. (Courtesy of Reading Eagle.) 



THE DAUPHIN COUNTY SYCAMORE 



With more than 25 feet in circumference at the base, and a 

 branch spread of over 100 feet, it stands near the burial place 

 of John Goodway the last of the friendly Indians of Central 

 Pennsylvania. 



of low-lying wet bottomland bordering the many streams 

 of the eastern states which are adapted to little else than 

 the production of a forest crop. It is upon these areas 

 that the sycamore tree will continue to flourish and 

 maintain itself. 



Our native sycamore has many good points, but un- 

 fortunately it has a serious enemy in a fungus disease 

 that seems to come around annually, shortly after the 

 leaves have started to develop. When the leaves are 

 about one-third grown, there begin to appear upon them 

 little brownish to black dots near the veins. These dots 

 enlarge rapidly, and sometimes within a few days, and 

 frequently within a week the leaves have completely 

 browned up, shriveled, and begun falling to the ground. 

 The leaves appear as if they had been injured by the 

 frost, but the temperature records of the localities show 

 conclusively that no frosts occurred in the regions. A 

 close examination of the injured leaves shows that the 

 damage was due to a fungus which develops rapidly 

 and does an enormous amount of damage annually. The 

 damage is so great, and the trees are left in such an un- 

 sightly condition, that it practically eliminates our native 

 sycamore tree from street and ornamental planting. 



We are just beginning to know the real merits of our 

 native sycamore. Not more than a mere start has been 

 made in the use of its wood. With a serious timber 

 shortage now confronting us ; it is becoming necessary 

 to use more ordinary woods. It seems fair to predict 

 that before long the wood of the sycamore will play a 

 more important role in the lumber industry of America 

 than it has in the past, and with a better understanding 

 of the good qualities of its wood, the practice of forestry 



