42 BULLETIN 1007, XJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



mals of various kinds are other products made largely of this wood, 

 as well as toy boats. Toy pianos and doll houses are usually of bass- 

 wood, which is also the favorite wood for toy cannon and popgun 

 stocks because it is easily bored and turned to shape. It is the wood 

 used in making the wooden doll of recent introduction and valued 

 for its indestructibility. The head, which is also of solid wood, is 

 carved to form the face and enameled in lifelike colors. Basswood 

 is very largely employed in the making of toy blocks of various kinds, 

 because it is so easily worked and takes printing well. 



Toy manufacturers generally purchase a combination of No. 2 

 common and better grades from which they cut the pieces of different 

 sizes and quality for their needs. They use much thin lumber, such 

 as for the box boards of toy wagons and wheelbarrows, and they are 

 able to utilize the material very closely, even though considerable clear 

 stock is required, because of the very large variety of products manu- 

 factured. Some firms use the waste from the manufacture of other 

 articles, such as piano and organ keys. However, since toys must 

 ordinarily be produced at low cost, the general run of small and odd- 

 sized pieces of waste from other factories can not usually be employed 

 at a profit, because of the added expense of labor in working it up. 

 Toys are generally manufactured in large quantities by machinery, 

 and the production would be seriously reduced by the use of much 

 small material of various shapes. Some firms using basswood for 

 other articles utilize their own waste by converting it into such toys 

 as can be made to advantage from the sizes they have available, and 

 this can often be done at a considerable profit. 



Yellow poplar is also used in toy manufacture, but where it is to be 

 left unpainted the color is considered not so attractive as that of bass- 

 wood. White pine is also put to the same use but it is not so desirable, 

 because it splits more readily. On account of its limited supply and 

 the advancing prices on basswood and its most common substitutes, 

 toy manufacturers are constantly seeking a suitable new substitute. 

 Cottonwood is not satisfactory, it is stated, because it does not 

 machine to a sufficiently smooth surface. By careful seasoning it is 

 possible that tupelo and the sapwood of the red gum can be utilized, 

 at least for those toys which are intended for indoor use. The prin- 

 cipal States making products of this class from basswood are New 

 York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin. 



AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 



Basswood enters into the construction of a large variety of agri- 

 cultural implements. It is used mainly for inside work, chutes, 

 drawers, partitions, and boxes of various kinds, and in general 

 where a high degree of strength is not required. It is a favorite 

 wood for use in grain separators, seeders, and fanning mills, for 



