THE SOUTHERN LUMBERMAN 



41 



by calling one white and the other black. It is 

 fairly abundant in an area of some thousands of 

 square miles in the eastern part of the state. Most 

 of the trees are small and short, but where con- 

 ditions are favorable saw-logs are cut. The lum- 

 ber is used more in the rough than in the finished 

 condition, but some goes through wood-working 

 machines and is made into frames and flooring. 

 Box and vehicle makers use some of it. The wood 

 is of rather low grade compared with most other 

 pines. It is 64 per cent as strong and 39 per cent 

 as stiff as longleaf and about three-fourths as 

 heavy. Few other trees withstand forest fires as 

 well as pitch pine, and it can maintain itself on 

 very poor land. The stand is generally thin. 



SCRUB PINE (PINU'S VIRGINIANA) This is 

 another tree not reported by any manufacturer in 

 Tennessee, though some of it is used. It is one 

 of the poorest of the pines, small in size, unprom- 

 ising in form, with characterless wood. It makes 

 good boxes and crates. 



The Oaks. 



Users of wood usually separate oaks into two 

 classes, white and red. That classification holds 

 only in a general way, for the rule is subject to 

 many exceptions. The color of the wood determines 

 the class, as understood by actual users. Some- 

 times the classification includes the chestnut oaks, 

 thus making three classes instead of two. This is 

 not a botanical division, and takes little account 

 of leaves and acorns, but is intended for con- 

 venience only among users of wood. In Tennessee 

 the manufacturers reported five oaks by name, and 

 perhaps used a dozen others which they included 

 under one or another of the five names. 



THE WHITE OAKS .Speaking in a general way. 

 the oaks used in Tennessee under the name of 

 white oak are post oak (Quercus minor), bur oak 

 (Quercus macrocarpa), overcup oak (Quercus 

 lyrata), and white oak (Quercus alba). The last 

 named is the true white oak, the type of the group, 

 the most abundant, and the best of all when all 

 things are considered. 



THE RED OAKS There are more species in the 

 red oak group as classified by users of the wood in 

 Tennessee. The type of the group, and therefore 

 the genuine red oak, if one of the group can be 

 more genuine than another, is the Quercus ruhra, 

 which is the only tree called red oak in the Forest 

 Service's official check list. It is best developed 

 in regions north of Tennessee, hut extends into 

 that state where much good timber is cut. Table 1 

 credits this species with 50 million feet, as re- 

 ported by Tennessee manufacturers; but this is 

 partly made up by counting a number of other oaks. 

 Those so included are probably the following: 

 Texan oak (Quercus texana), yellow oak (Quercus 

 velutina), Spanish oak (Quercug digitata), pin oak 

 (Quercus palustris), blackjack oak (Quercus mari- 

 landica), water oak (Quercus nigra), shingle oak 

 (Quercus imbricaria), and willow oak (Quercus 

 phellos). 



THE CHESTNUT OAKS Only half a million 

 feet was reported under this name and it may all 

 have been the true chestnut oak (Quercus prinus). 

 but three other species belonging to this group grow 

 in Tennessee and some of each may be included. 

 They are: Chinquapin oak (Quercus acuminata) 

 cow oak (Quercus michauxii) and swamp white 

 oak (Quercus platanoides). These oaks have leaves 

 resembling those of the chestnut, hence the name; 

 but the oaks of the other groups, white and red 

 are so called from the color of the wood and not 

 from the shape of the leaves. 



The Hemlocks. 



A little more than half a million feet of hemlock 

 was reported in the state, and most of that came 

 from other states. It is not, therefore, of a great 

 deal of importance in Tennessee from the manu-, 

 facturer's standpoint. In 1910 not a single mill re- 

 ported hemlock in its output Li the state. Never 

 theless, some of it was cut. Two species grow 

 among the mountains of Eastern Tennessee. The 

 Northern hemlock follows the mountains that far 

 southward and is found along the water courses 

 and on steep, damp slopes on the upper tributaries 

 of the Tennessee River. The other species, the 

 Carolina hemlock, is scarce. 



The Cedars. 



Though manufacturers report the use of two spe- 

 cies of cedar in Tennessee, the correctness of the 

 reports may he questioned with regard to Northern 

 white cedar (Thuja occidentalis), yet it is not im- 

 possible that some of it was cut on the high moun- 

 tains of Eastern Tennessee and made into pen- 

 holders, as stated. The species there approaches 

 the extreme Southern limit of its range and grows, 

 on high and rugged mountains, the trunks being 

 small, crooked, and difficult to procure. More likely 

 the white cedar listed was the white sapwood of 

 red cedar. 



RED CEDAR Tennessee is ihe home of this fine 

 wood. The state has produced great quantities 

 in past years, and it is generally considered that 

 the species is more highly developed there than 

 anywhere else. It has a wide range, and, if closely 

 related species are included, it is found in alfl 



regions of the United States. Its form is more like 

 a park tree than an uncared-for inhabitant of the- 

 forest. Its tall, sharp, conical crown looks as if 

 the gardener's pruning shears might lately have been 

 at work upon it. The trunk is occasionally fluted 

 and not of best form, but the top is almost fault- 

 less, unless the tree has met with some accident 

 or is very old. It grows in every part of Ten- 

 nessee, but is now most conspicuous on thin land 

 and dry ridges. That is because it has been cut 

 from the best land. It is so tenacious of life, and 

 ekes out a living under circumstances so adverse, 

 that in many parts of the state it is nearly the only 

 tree to be seen on rocky bluffs, gravelly flats, and 

 sterile ridges. Other species have starved out 

 and have given up the ground to the red cedar. It 

 has entered into possession and is making good. 

 It is one of the most valuable forest trees of Ten- 

 nessee. In 1910 the sawmill cut was 31,000,000 feet, 

 and that did not represent half of the output. Mil- 

 lions of posts and poles were cut and were shipped 

 to many parts of the country. The drain has been 

 enormous, and it looks as if the end must be near; 

 but in spite of appearances the red cedars keep on 

 coming, new thickets spread into cut-over land 

 and untold thousands of young trees take the placer 

 of those cut for the markets. 



It is a tree of slow growth, but it keeps at it. 

 Specimens as large as those in the original forests 

 need not be looked for again, for centuries would 

 be needed to produce them. Early settlers found 

 it the most available farm timber in many locali- 

 ties, and cedar rails fenced the farms, cedar logs 

 built the barns, cabins and mills, and in many 

 cases cedar fuel warmed the houses, and cedar 

 furniture fitted them for occupation. It became tht 

 greatest pencil wood because it is soft, light, odor- 

 ous and handsome. Pencil manufacturers in this 

 country and in Europe have ransacked the state for 

 suitable timbers and have taken most that is fit. 

 The small trees escape that search because they 

 are too knotty for pencils and do not contain 

 enough red heartwood, nor are they of the desired 

 whittling qualities. 



Cottonwood. 



Two woods are reported in Tennessee belonging 

 in the cotton wood group: the common cotton wood 

 and the large-toothed aspen. Only 100,000 feet of 

 the latter was used and 28,000,000 of the former. 



Some peculiarities are found in the reports of 

 the uses of cottonwood in Tennessee. The total 

 quantity is shown above. The total saw mill cut, 

 including the veneer output in the state, according 

 to the latest available statistics, is less than what 

 the manufacturers use of state-grown wood. The 

 discrepancy may be accounted for on the assump- 

 tion that much of the cottonwood going to the 

 factories was in the log, and was not counted in 

 the census returns of mill output. The country's 

 cut of cottonwood is declining. In 1899 it was 

 415,000,000 feet, and fell off 36 per cent by 1907, 

 and declined 45.000,000 feet further by 1910. The 

 mill output for Tennessee in 1909 was over 18,000,- 

 000 feet, and in 1910 had fallen below 9,000,000. The 

 conclusion is that this wood is approaching prac- 

 tical exhaustion. 



The Ashes. 



Four or more species are used in Tennessee, but 

 only two are reported. The wood in all is much 

 alike and the user frequently cannot tell the exact 

 species he has in hand, so he gives it the name of 

 the species he knows best, usually the white, but 

 if not that, the black. The species makes little 

 difference to the man who manufactures some com- 

 modity, so long as the wood is satisfactory, and 

 most of the asfhes give satisfaction. The two 

 species reported are: White ash (Fraxinus amerl- 

 cana), and black (Fraxinus nigra); while the two 

 most plentiful of the unreported species are red ash 

 (Fraxinus pennsylvanicum), and green ash (Frax- 

 inus lanceolata). It may be noted that these woods 

 are designated by colors -white, black, red and 

 green. 



The Elms. 



White elm and slippery elm were reported in 

 small quantities. The former is the most common 

 elm in this country and is native in nearly all 

 the states east of the Rocky Mountains. The slip- 

 pery elm is not so common, but where it exists it 

 is best known on account of its mucilaginous in- 

 ner bark which was formerly a household remedy 

 for most external injuries. The bark is sold in 

 nearly all drug stores. The wood of this tree is 

 rather deeper in color than that of the white elm, 

 and for that reason is known in some localities as 

 red elm. Two other trees of the elm genus are com- 

 mon in Tennessee and are in general use, but 

 chiefly under the name of white elm, or some other 

 of the multitude of names with which most of the 

 elms are burdened in the regions where they are 

 in commercial use. The cork elm (Ulmus racemosa) 

 is so named because of thickenings, ridges and ex- 

 cressences of the bark, resembling cork. The wood 

 is of good quality and is suitable for many pur- 

 poses, but like all the other elms it has no grain 

 or figure of a kind to give it attractive appear- 

 ance. Wing elm (Ulmus alata) also owes its 

 name to peculiarities of its bark. Flat keels on 

 the opposite sides of small twigs resemble wings. 



They are about as thick as heavy paper, and range 

 from one-fourth to one inch in width, measured 

 from the center of the twig outward. They some- 

 times occur on larger limbs and on the trunks of 

 small trees. When the branches are bare of leaves, 

 the peculiar appearance of winged branches and 

 trunks seldom fails to arrest attention. Rock elm 

 is a name often applied to trees of this genus. 

 There is no such species. It is simply a name 

 which in different regions is applied to whatever 

 elm happens to grow of best quality there. Some- 

 times jt means the white elm, sometimes slippery 

 elm, and again some one of the others. "Rock 

 oak" is a name applied in much the same way to 

 the oaks, and "rosemary" to some of the Southern 

 yellow pines. The custom of the community must 

 be understood before one can determine what trees 

 these names are meant to designate. 



The planertree (Planera aquatica) resembles the 

 elms so closely that distinctions are often not made 

 by users of the wood. None was reported in Ten- 

 nessee, though it is well known that lumbermen 

 cut the planertree when they come to it in course 

 of their logging operations, and the saw mills 

 convert the logs into lumber. In most places it 

 goes into the elm lumber piles and loses its cor- 

 rect name. 



The Gums. 



Three woods in Tennessee belong to this group 

 and the common name "gum" is frequently applied 

 to each and all, but at other times they are consid- 

 ered separately. They have some characters in 

 common, but they have differences also. 



RED GUM In 1910 Tennessee sawmills cut 62,- 

 000,000 feet of this wood, which was about one- 

 tenth of the cut in the United States. The largest 

 output was in Arkansas, next in Mississippi, Mis- 

 souri was third, and Tennessee stood fourth. A 

 large amount was made into veneer in addition to 

 the sawmill product of lumber. In Tennessee the 

 veneer output of red gum is about one-fourth of 

 the lumber, or 15,000,000 feet. Practically all of the 

 veneer is rotary cut and the quantity given is based 

 on log measurement. Much of the veneer is used 

 by manufacturers of boxes and crates, but a large 

 amount is demanded by furniture makers. Some 

 of it is finished to imitate more costly woods. The 

 seasoning problem is a serious one with red gum 

 intended for fine work. The wooJ contains an oil 

 which makes gluing difficult, unless the wood is 

 thoroughly dried. It has been mastered by many 

 manufacturers who now produce excellent furniture 

 and finish made wholly or partly of the wood. Its 

 beauty is widely known. In fact, its beauty is 

 known by many who do not know the name of the 

 wood they admire, but who suppose it is black wal 

 nut, white oak, sweet birch, cherry or Circassian 

 walnut. Men well acquainted with the lumber in- 

 dustry predict that red gum has not yet reached the 

 position which it is destined to attain in this and 

 other countries. 



TUPELO This wood is not very important in 

 Tennessee, but some of it is cut there, usually 

 associated with cypress in swamps and near water 

 courses. It is often known commercially as bay 

 poplar a term which it is claimed was originally 

 employed to convey the impression that it was 

 yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). The "bay" 

 referred to the fact that the trees grew close to 

 water, particularly the southern part of Chesapeake 

 Bay. The bark of the tupelo bears rather close 

 resemblance of that of yellow poplar, and the wood 

 of certain trees looks much like the yellow pop- 

 lar's wood. Botanically, the trees are quite dif- 

 ferent. 



BLACK GUM Manufacturers in Tennessee used 

 more than a million feet of this wood last year, 

 all of which was grown in the state. The Bureau 

 of the Census, in returns for 1910, included black 

 gum with tupelo and separate figures were not 

 given. It grows in all parts of Tennessee, not ir 

 thick stands like some other species, but here and 

 there through the forests. It is one of the most 

 unwedgeable woods of this country. The fibers sr 

 cross and interlock that no line of cleavage can be 

 found. For that reason, it has been much used 

 for mauls. They can be beaten into splinters be- 

 fore they will split. The black gum mauls of 

 early times pounded out many millions of fence 

 rails for farm fences. In very cold weather, how- 

 ever, such mauls could not be used, for whe 1 

 frozen they burst under the impact of heavy blows. 



Birch. 



Several species of birch contribute to the lumber 

 supply of this country, and when the wood reaches 

 the manufacturer who makes furniture, finish and 

 other commodities of it, it is not always possible 

 to determine what species is used. Any one or 

 all of three species may be used in Tennessee. 

 Forty-five mills cut birch in this state in 1910. 

 Sweet birch (Betula lenta) grows in the moun- 

 tains, and with it occurs the yellow birch (Betula 

 lutea). Both species contribute to the commercial 

 birch lumber of the markets. It can not be stated 

 what proportion of each was reported by manu- 

 facturers in Tennessee who used 1,363.000 feet. 

 Three-fourths of it came from outside the state. 

 That brought from the Lake States was chiefly 

 yellow birch, while Pennsylvania and West Virginia, 



