THE GUMS 



THERE are three species of trees classed as " Gums," 

 which have a commercial value for lumber. The most im- 

 portant of the three is commonly known as Red Gum, but 

 it is not a Gum nor does it belong to the genus. There is 

 nothing in common with this and the true Gums in either 

 flowers, fruit, shape of leaves, or quality of wood. Its cor- 

 rect name is Liquidambar botanically Liquidambar 

 styraciflua. It is best, however, to treat it as a Gum to 

 avoid confusion, for the lumber trade has adopted that 

 name and by that it is commonly known. 



Not until recent years was any one of the trees known 

 as Gum esteemed of any value for merchantable lumber. 

 Wood cut from the true Gums was soft, but not easily 

 worked because of the interlacing of its fibres, and, what 

 was more, that cut from all species would warp badly in 

 seasoning. But the increasing scarcity of more valuable 

 woods compelled consideration of the question whether 

 such wood could not be made useful. Experiments in man- 

 ufacture and treatment followed, and it was discovered 

 that, with proper handling, lumber cut from all three 

 species could be made quite serviceable for many purposes, 

 decidedly so for some ; and now, instead of allowing these 

 trees to stand in the swamps or occupy ground suitable for 

 agriculture, or to be girdled and allowed to decay and then 

 burned, as has been frequently done in some of the 

 Southern States, a large amount of lumber has been and 

 is still being cut from them. 



The uses to which this lumber has been put are many, 

 all legitimate enough if deception is not practiced ; but to 

 ship it abroad as " Satin Walnut " for by that name is 

 Red Gum known in England, where large quantities of it 

 are consumed for interior finish, furniture, and the like 



