FOREST RESOURCES OF WEST VIRGINIA. 491 



Red Oak (Q. ruhra). Not as large aa white oak, nor so straight and durable ; bark 

 rough and dark ; used for tanning ; wood coarse and heavy ; acorns large, but in- 

 ferior for mast. 



Black Oak {Q. tindoria). From 40 to 80 feet high; bark valuable for tanning and 

 dyeing ; and wood forming good timber. It occurs on high benches and ridges. 



Jack Oak {Q. nigra). Scrubby ; not over 30 to 40 feet high on thin, sandy ridges; 

 not valuable. 



Chestnut Oak ((?. castanea). Abundant on rather thin and stony or clayey ridges 

 and benches, but very thrifty in good soil ; grows 60 to 80 feet ; wood tough and 

 durable— equal to white oak for many uses; furnishes a larger supply of tan-bark 

 than any other oak. 



Spanish Oak (Q.falcaia). Not abundant; 60 to 80 feet high; tough and valuable 

 wood for staves, and bark used for tanning. There are also some other oaks grow- 

 ing in the State, some of them of large size, and others shrubs. 



Tulip Poplar (Ltriodendron tuUpifera). The white and yellow poplar— the latter 

 most valuable for flooring, ceiling, and cabinet-work, and for shingles, answering 

 for pine. It is the largest tree of West Virginia, growing 100 to 150 feet, with cor- 

 responding diameter.i it grows equally well in the valleys, and on rich hill-sidea 

 and ridges. Paper has been made from the bark. 



Black Walnut (Juglans nigra). Grows 50 to 80 feet high, and 3 to 6 in diameter; 

 found in rich soil, at any elevation, but nowhere so abundant as in some mountain 

 sections. 



White Walnut, (J. cj«crea). Nearly as large as the black, and multiplies more 

 rapidly. 



Hickory {Carya sulcata; C. alia). These abound in rich soil among the deciduous 

 timber ; height, 80 to 100 feet ; seldom over 2^ to 3 feet thick : grain fine, hard, 

 and flexible, and full the best in the woods. 



White-heart Hickory, (C. iomcniosa). Similar in wood to the above, but white at 

 the heart ; bark rough, not scaly. 



Broom Hickory (C. jwrcina). Resembles the above; fiber very tough; best for 

 brooms. 



Chestnut {Castanea vesca). Large and spreading tree; on dry, elevated ground, in 

 every part of the State, but more abundant on the mountains. It grows rapidly, 

 and reproduces from sprout or seed once in 15 or 20 years, to a size for posis and 

 rails. 



Chinquapin (C. pJiniiZa). Small tree; not abundant. 



Buckeye {JEsctilus glabra). Large tree, of rapid growth ; prefers bottom-lands; soft; 

 not durable if exposed ; bears fruit early ; not edible. 



Locust, (Eobiniapseudacacia). Good-sized tree, in thin or open woods on high ground; 

 irregularly distributed, generally in groves; a rapid grower, and easily propa- 

 gated. 



Honey LiOCVST (Gleditschia iricantlios). Moderate-sized tree ; not abundant. 



Beech {Fagus ferruginea). Red and white; found in bottoms and on lower benches, 

 all over the State ; moderately abundant ; height 50 to 60 feet ; not much used 

 except for fuel ; good for boxes, journals in machinery, chair-bottoms, and fence, 

 boards, when nailed up and exposed to the air immediately after being sawed. 



Sycamore (Platanus occidenialis). A very large picturesque tree, 70 to 120 feet high' 

 solitary or in clusters along the banks of rivers ; wood fine and hard ; used for 

 bedsteads and other turned furniture ; grows rapidly and easily prop.ngated. 



Elm ( Vlmus Americana). A very handsome spreading tree, 60 to 80 feet high ; seldom 

 found in the woods, but usual on the banks of streams, and in more or less open 

 grounds; seldom cut down for any purpose. 



Cucumber (Magnolia acuminata). Moderate-sized tree, seldom over 70 feet high ; 

 wood white, not very hard or fibrous; good for turning and hollow ware; bark 

 medicinal. 



Linden (Tilia Americana). Rich soil ; 60 to 80 feet ; wood soft, white, and adapted to 

 light cabinet-work and paper-making. 



White Ash {Fraxinus Americana). Large, straight tree, on rich hill-sides ; wood tough 

 and elastic ; used for flooring, mill-work, and carriages. 



Mountain Asn (Pyrus Americana). Not over 40 feet high ; said to occur on the moun- 

 tains. 



1 Several trees are reported 10 and 11 feet in diameter. The nature of the soil on 

 which this timber grows has a striking efiect oa the color and quality of tbe wood. 

 Mechanics distinguish the white, blue, and yellow, but no external marks distinguish 

 them. The white variety generally prefers a di-y, eleA^ated, gravelly ground ; has a 

 branching head, with a small amount of heart-wood, has a coarser and harder grain, 

 and decays more rapidly. The blue has the same general character. The yellow pop- 

 lar, by far the finest, is extensively used as an inside finishing lumber, for shingles, 

 and as weather-boarding. It affords a good foundation for veneers, and is used in 

 cabinet-wares, Slc— {Resources of West Virginia, p. 133.) 



