UTILIZATION OF ASH. 



25 



especially in the green condition, and is much the toughest. It 

 showed a remarkable gain in crushing and bending strength as a 

 result of seasoning, and in shock-resisting ability ranks well with the 

 denser species. With but few exceptions, the shrinkage of timber 

 varies directly with the specific gravity. Black ash is one of these 

 exceptions. It has about the same shrinkage as the best grade of 

 white ash, about 25 per cent greater than would be expected for a 

 species of equal specific gravity. For making baskets, hoops, and 

 the like, the peculiar properties of black ash make it rank first 

 among the ashes. 



SEASONING. 



Ash lumber seasons rapidly, in this respect ranking about as fol- 

 lows with the other common woods, commencing with the most 

 rapid: Red spruce, Avhite ash, red gum, yellow birch, sugar maple, 

 walnut, white oak. This matter of the rate of seasoning is import- 

 ant in connection with rate of increase or decrease in size of lumber 

 when exposed to change in atmospheric conditions, as it is reasonable 

 to assume that those woods which dr}^ most readily are the ones which 

 respond most quickly to the effects of varying conditions, which is 

 not a desirable quality in wood. 



In shrinkage from green to oven-dry condition, white ash com- 

 pares as follows with other species: 



Tangen- 

 tially. 



Ash (white) . . . 

 Birch (yellow). 

 Cherry (black) . 



Gum (red) 



Maple (sugar) . . 

 Oak (white) . . . 

 Spruce (red)... 

 Walnut (black) 



In vol- 

 ume. 



Radially. 



Per cent. 



Per cent. 



13.1 



4.8 



16.8 



7.4 



11.5 



3.7 



16.9 



5.3 



14.5 



4.8 



15.8 



5.4 



11.8 



3.8 



11.3 



5.2 



Per 



cent. 

 7.2 

 9.0 

 7.1 

 11.4 

 9.2 

 9.9 

 7.8 

 7.1 



In a properly operated kiln, ash can be very easily kiln-dried from 

 the green condition with even less checking than would occur in pre- 

 liminary air seasoning; and for most uses ash is ultimately kiln- 

 dried. It is doubtful whether kiln-dried ash stock would work 

 (shrink and swell) more with changes of atmospheric conditions 

 than that which has been air-dried and then kiln-dried. 



CHEMICAL PROPERTIES. 



Ash wood consists of a skeleton of cellulose, permeated with a mix- 

 ture of other organic substances common to hardwoods. "One hun- 

 dred pounds of wood as sold in the wood yards contains in round 

 numbers 25 pounds of water, 74 pounds of wood, and 1 pound of 

 74365°— Bull. 523—17 4 



I 



M:.. 



