TEEES, SHEUBS, AND FOEESTS 



395 



each annual ring. The remainder of the ring is composed of 

 alternating bands of small ducts and bands of fibers. The wood 

 rays and wood parenchyma are inconspicuous. The value of 

 elm for commercial purposes is due to its strength and to the 

 qualities which enable it to withstand bending and shock better 

 than many other 

 kinds of woods. 

 Consequently its 

 greatest use is in 

 industries such as 

 slack cooperage 

 and the making 

 of baskets, boxes, 

 crates, and vehi- 

 cles. In the mak- 

 ing of hoops and 

 staves for coop- 

 erage, as well as 

 of rims or bands 

 in baskets and 

 crates, its bend- 

 ing quality and 

 its strength are of 

 particular value. 

 In vehicles it is 

 used chiefly in 

 body work. Elm 



wood is also used for a great variety of industries, such as the 

 making of chairs, musical instruments, agricultural tools, etc. 

 The principal sources of elm wood are the states bordering on 

 the Great Lakes (particularly Michigan and Wisconsin) and those 

 in the southern Mississippi region (that is, Arkansas, Mississippi, 

 and Louisiana). Like most valuable woods, however, it is being 

 rapidly depleted and must either be replanted or replaced by 

 other woods of a similar character. 



FIG. 247. Vegetative and reproductive structures of the 

 red, or slippery, elm ( Ulmus fulva) 



a, winter twig ; b, leaf ; c, fascicle of flowers ; d, single per- 

 fect flower; e, winged fruit. From "Michigan Trees." 

 Drawing furnished by Dr. Charles W. Otis 



