30 



THE LUMBER TRADE JOURNAL 



[New Orleans, La., June 15, 1912. 



stand the hot dry roads of the southwest better than 

 if made of any other wood. They are not recom- 

 mended for rocky roads, because osage orange fel- 

 loes are BO unyielding that they will splinter by 

 jolting over rocks. 



Osage orange is popularly supposed to be of slow 

 growth, but such is not always the case. Growth 

 depends on soil and situation. Planted hedges have 

 been known to produce posts in a few years. A log 

 in the University collection at Austin is twenty-three 

 inches in diameter, and it grew in forty-two years. 

 A tree less than thirty-five years old near Victoria, 

 Texas, is twenty-four inches in diameter. 



Overcup Oak. The acorn usually is the means of 

 identifying this tree in the woods, but the wood so 

 closely resembles white oak that one may be taken 

 for the other. Their qualities and uses are much 

 the same. It is often called swamp white oak in 

 Texas. It is probable that more of it was cut than 

 Table I shows, because some manufacturers put it 

 down as 'white oak in their reports. 



Pin Oak. Nearly a quarter of a million feet of 

 this oak was reported -by Texas manufacturers, at an 

 average price of $15.30 a thousand feet. There is 

 some reason to doubt the correctness of this identi- 

 fication, and those who reported it may have applied 

 the name to some other species. It is customary in 

 some localities to give this name to several species 

 of oak. The true pin oak (Quercus palustris) 'beare 

 a general resemblance to the true red oak, but its 

 leaves are deeper lobed and sharper pointed, the 

 bark is smoother in young trees, and the trunks are 

 bristling with small branches set at right angles 

 like pins. (Hence the name.) 



Post Oak. The wood of this tree bears very close 

 resemblance to the true white oak (Quercus alba), 

 and for most purposes is as good It grows in Texas 

 westward to the 100th meridian, and south to the 

 San Antonio River. Some of the users consider 

 that the post oak in Texas is inferior to the same 

 species in the northeastern part of the United States. 

 Similar complaints are made against some of the 

 other oaks that grow in Texas and which are found 

 also in the cooler and damper parts of the country. 



Red Cedar. The 2,000 feet of red cedar listed in 

 Table I is an inadequate showing for this wood in 

 Texas. It seems to imply that red cedar is one of 

 the least important of the State's native wood, while 

 the fact is it is one that promises much. The spe- 

 cies grows in at least half the State, and in the re- 

 gion about Austin, between that city and Ban An- 

 tonio, and south and southwest as well as in the 

 west over parts of the Edwards Plateau, this tree 

 is found growing 'by untold thousands. The growth 

 is usually small, the trunks often making only posts 

 or small poles; ! but what is wanting in size is made 

 up in quantity. The dry rocky ridges in the vicinity 

 of the eastern escarpment of the Edwards Plateau 

 are thickly covered with cedars which have appro- 

 priated practically all of the ground to themselves. 

 Train loads of posts are hauled from the region 

 into surrounding agricultural country. In some 

 places the loose bark is removed from the posts and 

 is sold in the towns for kindling wood. It may toe 

 put up in bales somewhat like hay to facilitate the 

 handling. When near enough to markets, the limbs 

 and tops are cut into stove wood. When this is 

 done, utilization is almost complete. But in districts 

 more remote it is not practicable to work up the re- 

 fuse so closly. 



Red cedar is now and will continue to be a valu- 

 able forest resource in Texas. What the osage or- 

 ange is for fence posts in the northeastern part of 

 the 'State, red cedar is in the south, but not in the 

 extreme south. Much that is too small for posts 

 makes stakes to strengthen wire fences. Young ce- 

 dars spring up where the old are cut, and though 

 the growth is not rapid, .there is always a supply 

 coming on. It is a "poor land" tree, and 'by content- 

 ing itself with thin, rocky soils, it leaves more fa- 

 vored situations for farm crops. As the country 

 develops, the demand for fence material will in- 

 crease and red cedar will be one of the standard 

 woods for this purpose. 



Red Gum. Red gum is cut in the eastern half 

 of Texas and is one of its important timbers. It 

 has won its way in spite of much prejudice against 

 it. It is not an easy wood to season, and for a long 

 time the belief prevailed that it could not be dried 

 in a way to flt it for any but rough purposes. Ex- 

 perience has snown that its seasoning is practicable, 

 and it has taken its place among the best furniture 

 and finish woods of this country. The same tree 

 has two kinds of wood, white or pale yellowish sap, 

 and darker colored heart. Occasionally a tree of 

 large size is nearly all white, while others are 

 largely heartwood. Red gum may be worked to 

 show a pleasing grain. It is made to imitate wal- 

 nut, oak, cherry, birch and other expensive cabinet 

 woods. 



Red Oak. Many oaks pass as red oak, but the 

 United States Forest Service applies that name to 

 one species only (Quercus rubra), and that does not 

 grow in Texas. It is a northeastern tree, and its 

 commercial range approaches no nearer Texas than 



where it is found in central Tennessee. It is hard 

 to identify it by the wood alone by tests available 

 to the ordinary user, as several of the red oaks bear 

 close resemblance. The names of several of them 

 are so confused that they afford no assistance in 

 identification. Red oak is a standard, first-class fur- 

 niture and finish wood. For most purposes it is 

 fully equal to white oak. 



Sitka Spruce. This Pacific Coast wood comes 

 principally from the State of Washington, and its 

 high cost 'by the time it reaches Texas excludes it 

 from all uses except the* most important. It is receiv- 

 ed in stock so free from imperfections that waste in 

 its conversion at the factory is reduced to a mini- 

 mum. The average tree of this species in the most 

 favored regions of its range is three or four times 

 as large as the average spruce tree of the northeast, 

 and of course it yields more clear lumber. 



Spanish Cedar. Spanish cedar is the most im- 

 portant cigar box wood in this country. It does 

 not grow in the United States, but comes from Mex- 

 ico, Cuba and other Spanish-American regions. It 

 is imported in various forms, but much comes as 

 logs of different diameters and lengths. The tree 

 attains large size if left to grow to an old age. 

 Early Spanish explorers in the West Indies and 

 along the coast of Mexico and Central America spoke 

 of canoes hewed from cedar trunks, large enough to 

 carry thirty or forty persons. It would now be dif- 

 ficult to find trees of anything like that size near 

 the coast. Much of the cigar-box material comes to 

 this country as logs the size of telegraph poles. This 

 is converted into thin lumber or veneer. If lumber 

 is used, the cigar boxes are of solid wood; but if 

 veneer is employed it is very thin, scarcely thicker 

 than paper, and is pasted on the backing of other 

 woods. When that process is followed, the cigar 

 hox is apparently solid cedar, but is really made 

 with very little of that wood. 



Sugar Maple. The hard maple of commerce is 

 nearly all cut from the sugar tree, the same from 

 which sugar is manufactured in the north. The 

 tree touches the eastern part of Texas, and there 

 reaches the southwestern limit of its range. It is 

 too scarce to furnish much lumber, and only a 

 chance tree is cut in logging operations or when 

 land is cleared. All of the reported sugar maple in 

 Texas was shipped into the State from the North. 

 The usual name applied to the wood is hard maple. 

 The average cost in the State is more than twice 

 what it is in Illinois, but the small quantity used 

 in Texas is responsible for the extra high price. 



Sugarberry. The description of hackberry applies 

 equally well to sugarberry, as the two woods are so 

 nearly alike that users do not distinguish between 

 them. Both are bought and sold as ash in Texas, 

 though for some purposes the wood is not quite as 

 satisfactory as ash. 



Sugar Pine. California supplies this wood, and 

 Texas manufacturers use half a million feet of it 

 yearly. The tree is so named because on its native 

 mountains a sap or juice oozing to the surface where 

 the wood has been injured is condensed by evapora- 

 tion into a white sugary substance not unpleasant 

 to the taste. It is the largest of the pines in this 

 country. Single trees sometimes saw 20,000 feet of 

 lumber, a large percent of which is of high grade. 

 In the central and eastern States, sugar pine is often 

 taken as a substitute for white pine. It is cheaper 

 than white pine of the same grade where both are 

 shipped the same distance. 



Teak. This high-priced wood, greatly admired for 

 boat finish and heavy doors, comes from India and 

 Siam. Its principal value is due to the wearing 

 qualities where it receives rough usage; but its 

 beauty is also appreciated. It bears some resem- 

 blance to mahogany, but its color is less rich. It 

 was the costliest wood imported in Texas, and the, 

 whole 8,000 feet was employed in 'boat building. 

 An oil in the wood has a tendencq to preserve iron 

 from rust, and ship builders appreciate this prop- 

 erty. 



Texan Oak. The most aboundant oak in the State 

 is the Texan oak, which is commonly called red oak 

 by those who use it. Others know it as spotted or 

 Spanish oak. It belongs to the red oak group, and 

 is cut in tfie eastern and central portions of the 

 State. It is put to practically all uses for which any 

 oak is suitable. It is quarter sawed, and the grain 

 and figure compare favorably with those of the gen- 

 uine red oak of the Ohio valley. The acorns of this 

 species ripen in two years, the same as other mem- 

 bers of the red oak group. The acorns of the white 

 oaks ripen in one year. 



Tupelo. Tupelo is cut in the forests and goes 

 to market under other names. In some localities 

 it is called bay poplar, in others simply gum, or 

 black gum. In the past the wood has been respon- 

 sible for many seasoning troubles, but these have 

 decreased in recent years as the handling of tupelo 

 has -become better understood. It is a swamp tree 

 and it can stand in water most of the year, and still 

 prosper. In that respect it is in a class with cypress. 

 It is a slow grower and a tupelo tree is not worth 

 much until it has a century or more to its credit. 



Its slow growth makes it impossible that tupelo can 

 have much place in this country's future forest pol- 

 icy. 



Western White Pine. This wood comes from the 

 northern Rocky Mountain region, chiefly Idaho. It is 

 often substituted for the white pine of the Lake 

 States, but it has not yet gained much foothold in 

 Texas, as is shown by the small quantity reported 

 in Table I. The wood is light in weight and color, 

 works well, holds its shape after seasoning, and is a 

 reliable material. By the time it pays freight on 

 the long haul from Idaho to Texas it is by no means 

 a low-priced wood. It should not be confused with 

 western yellow pine, which is often called white 

 pine. 



Western Yellow Pine. When the wood reaches 

 Texas it is frequently called California white pine. 

 It is a western species, covering the region from the 

 eastern base of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific 

 Coast. Its range extends into some of the western 

 counties of Texas, but the timber there is small and 

 of comparatively little value. The best comes from 

 California and Oregon, and from certain favored lo- 

 calities of the Rocky Mountains and the Basin 

 States. The wood belongs with the yellow rather 

 than the white pine, 'but it bears some resemblance 

 to the latter. It is soft and is easily worked, and 

 less resinous than longleaf pine, though experi- 

 ments have shown that naval stores may be obtained 

 from the western species. It was formerly believed 

 that the Rocky Mountain form of this tree, including 

 that found in western Texas, was a separate species 

 from the Pacific Coast form, but at present they are 

 considered to be the same species. 



White Ash. This is the common ash in the east- 

 ern and central parts of the United States. Texas 

 supplies more than three-fourths of this wood used 

 by its factories. The species reaches its southwest- 

 ern limit in the State. It is a wood of all-round use- 

 fulness, and most industries employ it 



White Elm. This elm is widely distributed over 

 the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, and 

 within that range most regions have enough of it to 

 meet their needs. It has half a dozen names, not 

 including "rock elm," which Is applied to all species 

 of elms in some parts of their ranges, though it is 

 not the proper name of any of them. Workers in 

 wood say that few trees show as readily as elm the 

 effect of soil upon wood. One soil may produce brash 

 wood, another a very tough one; and there seems to 

 be much difference in weight and color, which is ac- 

 counted for by differences in soils. This may ex- 

 plain why in one locality the name rock elm is ap- 

 plied to a certain species, and in another locality 

 the term is applied to an elm of a different species. 

 The wood of all the elms is coarse and character- 

 less, and is never employed where handsome ap- 

 pearance is the object sought. 



White Oak. The range of the white oak overlaps 

 the northeastern region of Texas. It reaches its best 

 development In the Ohio valley and among the Appa- 

 lachian mountains, but it has extended its range 

 over the whole eastern and central portion of the 

 United States, and in Texas it reaches its southwest- 

 ern limit. Some of the white oak timber in Texas is 

 good, but most of it falls below the quality growing 

 in Kentucky and Indiana. Woods generally lose in 

 quality as they approach the limits of their ranges. 

 There is only one white oak which is properly called 

 by that name, but there are several species belonging 

 in the group of white oaks. The wood of some of 

 them closely resembles that of the true white oak, 

 and when the different kinds are mixed it is very 

 difficult to separate them according to species. In 

 practice it is not done. White oak is so named be- 

 cause the bark and the wood present a whitish ap- 

 pearance; but the wood and the bark of post oak 

 are as white, and several other species are nearly. 



The oaks may be broadly divided into four groups 

 if the shape of the leaves is made the basis for divi- 

 sion. The white oaks, including a dozen or more 

 species, have leaves with rounded lobes; red or black 

 oaks, with a score of species, have lobes with sharp 

 points; the chestnut oaks, with four or five species, 

 have notched leaves like those of the chestnut, and 

 the willow oaks have leaves like the willow or laurel, 

 without notches or lobes. Representatives of all 

 four groups are found in Texas. There is a repre- 

 sentative species for each group. The white oak is 

 the type for the round-lobed species; the red oak 

 for the pointed-leafed group; the chestnut oak for 

 those with notched leaves; and the willow oak for 

 those with smooth-edged leaves. 



The men who work in factories are not necessarily 

 acquainted with the appearance of the trees as they 

 stand in the forests. They judge a wood by its ap 

 pearance, and not by the shape of the leaves, which 

 they may never see. They are for that reason less 

 exact in designating species than is the man who 

 works in the woods. They class as a white oak all 

 light-colored oak that works like true white oak and 

 they follow the same course with red oaks. In actual 

 practice nearly all oaks are considered either white 

 oak or red oak. The compiler of statistics often 

 finds it necessary to make special inquiry to deter- 



