24 



BULLETIN 1007, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



also used for drawer bottoms and mirror backing, because it is not 

 inclined to warp excessively when used in this way. Thick veneer is 

 used for core stock on which cabinet veneers are glued. Basswood 

 veneer is used for the separators of storage batteries and for small 

 cheese boxes. 



Table 14. — Consumption of basswood for excelsior, by States, 1911. 



State. 



Cords. 



State. 



Cords. 





15, 770 

 3,960 

 3,784 

 2,772 

 1,671 



Michigan 



1,590 



Ohio 





60 







25 







3,410 





Total 







33,042 









EXCELSIOR. 



Statistics on production. — Statistics of the Bureau of the Census on 

 the production of excelsior are available only for the year 1911. Table 

 14 gives these statistics by States. The 33,000 cords of basswood 

 consumed in that year in excelsior manufacture is equivalent to 

 about 16,000,000 board feet of lumber. This was nearly one-fourth 

 of the entire amount of wood reported for excelsior manufacture. 

 Cottonwood and aspen grouped together and yellow pine were used 

 in larger quantities, according to these statistics. When the different 

 species are separated, however, aspen ranks first, basswood second, 

 black cottonwood third, and the common cottonwood fourth. 



Wisconsin is the main State in the manufacture of basswood ex- 

 celsior; for 1911 nearly one-half of the entire amount used for this 

 purpose in the United States was reported for that State. Mills 

 making basswood excelsior are now located principally in northern 

 Wisconsin. 



Manufacture. — Excelsior is commonly termed "ribbon veneer," 

 because it is composed of thin strands shaved from the surface of the 

 wood. Requirements for excelsior are that it be elastic or resilient 

 and light in weight and color. It is also preferred free from odor, 

 although for some purposes, such as furniture packing, a slight odor 

 is not objectionable. The quality most demanded is resiliency or 

 "life" — that capacity of being compressed into a small volume and 

 of expanding after being so compressed. Wood for the manufacture 

 of excelsior should be light in weight, not brittle, soft, straight-grained 

 and preferably free from odor. A light-colored wood is also desirable. 

 Basswood meets the requirements of an excelsior wood better than 

 any other timber and produces the best grades. 



The scarcity and high price of the wood prevent its use in larger 

 quantities. Excelsior manufacturers in regions where basswood 



