it AMERICAN FOREST TREES 



popular in this country, and the home-made articles were in all neighbor- 

 hoods in the red cedar's range. Scarcity of suitable wood limits the 

 manufacture of such wares now, but they are still in use. 



Cedar was long one of the best woods for skiffs and other light 

 boats, and it was occasionally employed in shipbuilding for the upper 

 parts of vessels. A little of it is still used as trim and finish, particularly 

 for canoes, motor boats, and yachts. 



The early clothes chest makers selected clear lumber, because it 

 could be had and was considered to be better; but modern chest manu- 

 facturers who cannot procure clear stock, make a merit of necessity, and 

 use boards filled with knots. The wood is finished with oils, but the 

 natural colors remain, and the knots give the chest a rustic and pleasing 

 appearance. 



SOUTHERN RED JUNIPER (Juniperus barbadensis) so closely resembles the red 

 cedar with which it is associated that the two were formerly considered the same 

 species, and most people familiar with both notice no difference. However, botanists 

 clearly distinguish the two. The southern red cedar's range is much smaller than the 

 other's. It grows from Georgia to the Indian river, Florida, in swamps. It is found in 

 the vicinity of the Apalachicola river, forming dense thickets. Its average size is much 

 under that of the red cedar, but its wood is not dissimilar. It has been used for the 

 same purposes as far as it has been used at all. One of the largest demands upon it 

 has been for lead pencils. Those who bought and sold it, generally supposed they were 

 dealing in the common red cedar. 



