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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



GREAT IS THE LEAD PENCIL 



Though the lead pencil is among the smallest of the implements 

 in the professional and scientific class, its manufacture calls for 

 more wood than any other single article in that class; in fact, 

 more than all others combined. Most pencil wood is red cedar, 

 but some other woods are used. 



States as far west as Texas in great abundance. Farther 

 north it occurs as far west as Kansas and Nebraska, and 

 northward to Dakota. The tree is found in more than 

 half of the area of the United States ; and if some closely 

 related species are included, it is found in practically 

 the whole country. But pencils are made only of trees 

 which grow in the southern states, for the wood of the 

 same tree growing farther north or west is not regarded 

 suitable for pencils. It is too hard, or in some 

 other particular the manufacturers find it ob- 

 jectionable. Therefore, the best cedar for 

 pencils is restricted to regions somewhat lim- 

 ited, although woods other than this cedar are 

 put to some use in many regions and countries, 

 though not one of them is regarded as a rival 

 of this cedar. 



Heartwood is liked best, and first-class 

 heartwood is apt to be found in cedars of large 

 size. It must be of good color and of soft 

 texture, free from flinty streaks. Cheap pen- 

 cils may be made of inferior wood, or of soft^ 

 wood dyed to imitate heart ; but the best pen- 

 cils are of heartwood. The demands of cu= 

 luin ana lasnion are somewhat exacting. 1 no 

 most insistent demand of custom is that the 

 wood of a good pencil shall have a delicate 

 cedar odor. The writing qualities of the pen- 

 cil are not improved or lessened by the odor 

 or lack of odor of the pencil wood ; neverthe- 

 less, custom insists that the odor must be pres- 

 ent. Many persons associate odor with fine 

 quality in a pencil. If the odor is lacking or 

 if it is unsatisfactory, they conclude that the 

 pencil's quality is lacking. Purchasers often 



smell a pencil before buying, and if they are not satisfied 

 with the odor, they refuse to buy that particular pencil. 



It is thus apparent that wood's smell has much to do 

 with the sale of any particular brand of lead pencil, and 

 the manufacturer takes that fact into consideration. It 

 so happens that the odor of southern red cedar is strong 

 and characteristic, and it has influenced the popularity of 

 that wood as pencil stock. It has desirable qualities 

 other than its odor. Its color has already been men- 

 tioned, but that quality should be further emphasized. 

 A pencil of pale, nearly colorless wood is not liked, 

 though such a pencil might write as well as any other. 

 It looks cheap and many persons judge pencils by their 

 appearance. 



Cedar's light weight is a quality appreciated by manu- 

 facturers of pencils. Wholesale shipping is done in large 

 quantities, and the shipment pays freight in accordance 

 with its weight. The weight of a thousand gross of pen- 

 cils of cedar is much less than it would be if the ship- 

 ment were made up of pencils of some heavy wood. It 

 is, therefore, proper to regard light weight in pencil 

 wood as a property calculated to enhance its value. 



Still another quality is insisted upon by most pencil 

 users whose tastes and prejudices have been developed. 

 They want a pencil that whittles nicely and easily. That 

 seems like a trifling consideration, but it has its weight 

 in determining what woods make the best pencils. Of 

 course, the wood must be soft if it is to cut easily. Fur- 

 ther than that, it must cut without a gritty sensation. 

 The wood must crumble away from the knife blade while 

 the pencil is in the process of being sharpened. Tough 

 shavings which curl and roll lilce sliced horn condemn a 

 pencil in popular opinion. Persons who are particular 



DRAWING INSTRUMENTS 



Drawing tools and instruments call for fine woods, some of foreign origin, 

 other native of this country. Boxwood, mahogany and ebony are the chief 

 imported woods, while our own forests furnish cherry, walnut, maple, beech 

 and poplar. Some instruments of this kind are wholly of wood, others only 

 in part. 



