COMMERCIAL USES OF CYPRESS 



583 



manufacture of presents for loved ones, and at 

 the same time familiarizing them with the beauties 

 of " sugi-finished " cypress, was a stroke in busi- 

 ness diplomacy seldom equalled. 



The outcome has been the discriminating use 

 of " sugi " finish for trim, mantels and other in- 

 terior woodwork. The word " discriminating " 

 is used advisedly because that treatment is recom- 

 mended and should be employed only where it is 

 suitable. The outcome of applying intelligence 

 to the problem of marketing cypress can be found 

 in almost every village and hamlet in the United 

 States and in thousands of markets and homes in 

 foreign countries. Cypress is known, its merits 

 appreciated, its uses understood. 



In a complete and very interesting publica- 

 tion on the southern cypress (Bulletin 272, U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture), is given the follow- 

 ing comprehensive statement regarding its uses : 



" Cypress has a great variety of uses, and for 

 many of these it is selected as a preferred ma- 

 terial. The key to its usefulness is its resistance 

 to decay and other forms of deterioration when in 

 contact with moisture, and its quality of being 

 easily worked. It is used extensively for outside 

 finish of buildings, such as siding, casing, sashes, 

 doors and blinds, cornice, railings, steps and porch 

 material. As a gutter stock, cypress outlasts 

 many other materials and is in favor for high- 

 grade work. Standard planing products consume 

 large quantities of cypress. These include ceiling, 

 siding, flooring, molding and finish. On account of 

 its freedom from taste and great durability, it is a preferred 

 material for tanks, vats, tubs, and wooden buckets. These 

 are used for water storage, and by creameries, breweries, 

 bakeries, dye works, distilleries, and soap and starch fac- 

 tories. In the construction of greenhouses, where wood is 

 subjected to extremes of heat and moisture, cypress is used 

 probably more than any other wood. It is also a leading 

 wood for pumps, laundry appliances, caskets and coffins. 

 Cypress is extensively used throughout the South in the 

 construction of picket fences, which there remain the 



CYPRESS "PECK" BEAMS 

 In the living-room at Henry Ford's residence. 



MODERN DOOR MADE OF CYPRESS 



standard form of yard fence. In the moist, hot climate of 

 the South, split cypress shingles have outlasted all other 

 roofing materials commonly used, except the best grade 

 of slate and tiles. While the ordinary sawed shingle is 

 very durable, the relatively high value of cypress wood 

 has resulted in cedar taking the lead as shingle material. 



" More than two-thirds of the total cypress lumber 

 output, estimated in round figures at 740,000,000 board 

 feet in 1914, is further manufactured and utilized by the 

 wood-manufacturing industries in the United States. The 

 reports for 1911 show that 68 per cent (668,353,342 

 board feet) of the amount cut in that year was so used by 

 these industries. The balance of the lumber cut goes into 

 general use in the retail market. 



" Relatively small amounts of cypress go into the 

 primary products other than lumber. In 1911 the electric 

 and steam railroads purchased cypress cross-ties to the 

 number of approximately 5,800,000 or about 4.3 per cent 

 of the total for the year. Only 72,995 cypress poles were 

 reported purchased in 1911 by all the principal classes of 

 pole consumers. Small amounts go into cross arms. A 

 little is used for slack cooperage, and, experimentally, 

 cypress has been found to be a substitute for white oak 

 for wine barrels." 



Cypress wood contains a natural oil which apparently 

 checks the action of decay in much the same way that 

 creosote does when injected into ties. Cypress heartwood 

 has been known to outlast stone, iron and cement. In 



