GENERAL SURVEY OF TEXAS WOODLANDS. 41 



is reddish-brown, and the sapwood yellowish- white ; both are capable 

 of being highly polished. This last quality would render the wood emi- 

 nently fitted for a furniture wood were it not for the difficulty encoun- 

 tered in securing suitable sizes. The hardness also makes veneer cut- 

 ting difficult. The brittleness of the wood unfits it for a number of 

 uses where otherwise small sizes could be utilized. Seasoning mesquite 

 timber is a long, tedious process. Sawed specimens after several years 

 under cover have been found to be cured only on the outside. Timber 

 cut from mesquite, if of an} r size, is usually defective. The brittleness 

 of the wood, together- with the widespreading crown renders the tree 

 peculiarly liable to windshake. Trees of every age, more particularly 

 the older individuals, are attacked by wood boring insects, their gal- 

 leries traversing the wood in all directions, thus rendering much of it 

 unfit for manufacturing purposes. 



It must not be considered, however, that mesquite is worthless for 

 rnnimfncturing purposes. The wood, because of its hardness and sus- 

 ceptibility to polishing, is eminently fitted for the manufacture of small, 

 turned articles such as gavels, plaques, goblets, rings, trays, inlay, small 

 tool handles, which are not to be subjected to impact stresses, and vari- 

 ous other wood novelties. The wood has a possible use as parquetry 

 flooring because of its hardness. Paving blocks made of mesquite are 

 practically indestructible and have been known to last for at least twenty- 

 five years without appreciable deterioration. Heavy wagon felloes for 

 use in arid regions may be made from mesquite as the wood does not 

 swell, shrink or warp, and the size of the felloe would offset any weak- 

 ness due to its brittle character. In all the above uses short lengths 

 can be handled to advantage. Locally, the larger limbs and branches 

 are used for fence posts and fuel while the main trunks are burned in 

 the fields when new land is cleared. 



The by-products of mesquite are important in themselves. The pods 

 furnish excellent forage for stock. Mucilage can be made from the 

 gum; dyes from the sap: tannic acid from the resin; vinegar from the 

 fermented juice of the fruit, and as a bee pasture the long persistent 

 flowers produce an excellent grade of honey. It is estimated that thirty 

 pounds of potassium salts per acre may be secured from burned brush. 



REGION COVERED. 



The region south, southwest, and west of San Antonio, embracing the 

 counties of Atascosa. Bexar, Dimmit, Frio, LaSalle, Live Oak, Mc- 

 Mnllen, Medina, ISTueces, San Patricio, Uvalde, and Zavala, was exam- 

 ined both because of its accessibility to San Antonio and because it 

 was considered an optimum region for mesquite. The twelve counties 

 enumerated above total 14,915 square miles in area and are drained by 

 the Atascosa, Frio, and Nueces "Rivers and their tributaries. The an- 

 nual rainfall averages between 20 and 30 inches. It -was considered 

 that mesquite within this region would represent maximum conditions 

 because of the presence of large areas of fertile, bottomland soils. 



