530 USEFUL PLANTS AND PLANT PRODUCTS 



species of cone-bearing trees, especially the pines, which grow 

 within our limits. 



The wood of the white pine (Pinus strobus), remarkable for 

 its workableness and freedom from warping or cracking when 

 exposed to the weather, was for years the most important of all 

 our soft woods. Latterly, as the supply is becoming greatly 

 lessened, other kinds of pine, especially the long-leaf pine, 

 the loblolly pine of the southeastern states, and the bull pine 

 (P. ponderosa) of the Pacific and Rocky Mountain regions, are 

 to a considerable extent taking its place. 



Among the other most widely used coniferous woods are two 

 species of true spruce (Picea), the "Douglas spruce" (Pseudotsuga), 

 two western species of white fir (Abies), the smaller California 

 redwood (Sequoia), the American or bald cypress (Taxodium), 

 and several distinct kinds of white cedar (Thuya, Chamce- 

 cyparis, and Libocedrus). The cypress, larch, and most of the 

 cedars furnish timber of great durability when exposed to the 

 weather or buried in the earth, and therefore are highly valued 

 for posts, telegraph poles, railroad ties, and similar uses. 



505 . Broad-leaved woods . Our native broad-leaved trees which 

 furnish wood for manufacturing or constructive purposes com- 

 prise about eighty species, a larger number than is found in 

 any other equal area of the temperate zones. 



The principal hard-wood forests are of oak, though other valu- 

 able timber trees, such as maples, hickories, beeches, and elms, 

 are usually scattered among them. Our oak lumber is of three 

 kinds, white, red, and live oak. White oak is much superior 

 to red for constructive purposes where strength is important, but 

 does not show so conspicuous a grain when polished for cabinet 

 work. More than half of our supply of hard woods comes from 

 various species of oak. 



Next in importance is the wood of the tulip tree (Lirioden- 

 drori), generally known as yellow poplar, or whitewood. This 

 has largely taken the place of white pine in inside woodwork 

 for dwelling houses and other buildings. 



