BASSWOOD. 355 



brown surface is broken into small, thin scales. The bark on 

 the young growth is light gray, and gradually becomes dark and 

 finally brown. Very few varieties of this species are cultivated. 



Distribution. It is found from New Brunswick west to 

 Assiniboia and south to Georgia and Texas. In Minnesota the 

 Basswood is generally common throughout the state, and is 

 very abundant in the Big Woods. 



Propagation. The Basswood is generally grown from the 

 seeds, which even when stratified and exposed to frost the first 

 winter will often fail to start until a year from the following 

 spring. It may also be grown from layers, and from cuttings 

 of the younger wood by using the solar pit. It sprouts readily 

 from the stump if cut in winter, and renews itself very satis- 

 factorily in this way. It may also be grafted. 



Properties of wood. Light, soft, tough, close grained, com- 

 pact and easily worked. The sapwood is very thick, and when 

 properly seasoned is nearly white in color; but generally it 

 can hardly be distinguished from the light brown heartwood. 

 It warps badly when exposed to weather, and rots quickly when 

 in contact with moisture. The specific gravity is 0.4525; weight 

 of a cubic foot 28.20 pounds. 



Uses. The Basswood is a good street and lawn tree in suita- 

 ble locations, taking on a very beautiful form, but is not nearly 

 so much used for this purpose as it should be. It is very hardy, 

 and resists drouth well, and is desirable in timber plantings in 

 this section. Newly transplanted street trees of this species 

 are liable to injury from sunscald in this section until they are 

 well established and for this reason should have their trunks 

 protected from the sun for several years after they are set out. 



The wood is largely sawed into lumber, and under the name 

 of whitewood is used in the manufacture of cheap furniture, 

 wooden ware, carriage boxes, etc., for interior finishing and a 

 variety of other purposes such as churns and butter workers, 

 cheese boxes, bee hives, measures, grape and fruit baskets, 

 boxes, packing, tool handles, map rolls, toothpicks, musical in- 

 struments, penholders, step ladders, baseball bats and artificial 

 limbs, and toys. It is also used for paper pulp, but makes an 

 inferior quality of paper. The inner bark, known as bast, is 

 occasionally made into coarse cordage and matting. The manu- 

 facture of these latter materials from European Linden has been 



