PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 203 
become new,” but they must be very, very old to satisfy the critical eye of the 
modern connoisseur, : : 
But beyond the forms or plans which the designer or architect prepares, 
there is a far more important matter, the abundance of the materials from which 
articles are to be constructed. 
Walnut and cherry are no longer fashionable, because they are not obtainable 
in quantities sufficient to supply the world’s demands. In the United States, fifty 
years ago the wild black cherry, which was then quite abundant, became a very 
desirable wood from which house furniture, office furnishings, stairways, panels, 
newels and all inside work was made. Engineers and draughtsmen preferred 
cherry for instruments, as it was quite free from changes, retaining its form 
indefinitely. Cherry is a beautiful, plain, unfigured wood, taking a high polish, 
durable when protected from moisture, easily worked, and an ideal material for 
all cabinet designs. 
But the demand soon exhausted the supply of cherry. And while this is a 
tree which grows rapidly and could easily be reproduced in forests, there has been 
no one to urge this matter of extending our forests of economic woods, and so it 
has been neglected. 
Then came the black walnut, which was for many years the principal wood 
for furniture. As it became scarce, and the beautiful curled and figured veneers 
were in demand, thousands of dollars were expended in digging the stumps and 
old roots of walnut trees cut for lumber years before; these were transported 
long distances, over rough mountain roads, to railways where they could be moved 
to the veneer factories. The stump of a single tree, after being cut into veneers, 
has been sold for fabulous sums. 
Walnut, like the cherry, became so scarce that manufacturers were compelled 
to seek other wood which should take the place of walnut. To-day almost the 
entire production is exported to Europe. 
Birch has been largely used but never a favorite. Maple, especially the bird’s 
eve and the curly forms, has been a favorite with many. Tupelo, or sour gum, 
and also sweet gum, which in Europe is called satinwood, has received much 
attention,while beech and sycamore are still used in some articles, as desks, for 
‘nside finish. 
Finally oak was chosen, since to all appearances the supply was inexhaustible. 
‘n lumber cut from a large white oak tree the medullary rays, when quarter 
sawed, give a striking appearance which in moderation is in good taste and very 
attractive, but the “loud” appearance of some quartered oak furniture is far from 
being a pattern which will stand the test of time. 
To quarter saw an oak log causes great waste, which makes it very expensive, 
since there are many very narrow boards and beveled edges which must be 
dressed away. 
sut the supply of oak in America is fast drawing to an end. Every nook 
and corner of the near-by states has been scanned by lumbermen, and the oak 
and other trees which were sound have become converted into lumber. 
Five years ago in an extended tour through the mountains of Kentucky and 
Tennessee, the writer saw great forests of white, red and chestnut oak, into which 
railways and timber roads were being rapidly pushed. All the great railways of 
