62 



The Farm Woodlot 



Fig. 11.- 



- Forest-grown white 

 oak. 



The ashes are among the 

 valuable trees of the woodlot 

 because of the hard, strong 

 and useful wood. The white 

 ash produces the best wood of 

 all the species and is the most 

 valuable. It is also the most 

 abundant. The various species 

 of the ash are not easily dis- 

 tinguished, since in their gen- 

 eral characters they are quite 

 similar. All the ashes have 

 opposite buds and have the 

 twigs flattened where the buds 

 occur. The green ash is prob- 

 ably a variety of the red ash, 

 but is a better tree. It is 

 largely planted in the prairie 

 states and -is a very valuable 

 tree for this purpose. The 

 wood of the ashes is mostly 

 hard, strong, heavy and tough, 

 and is used largely in the manu- 

 facture of farm tools and im- 

 plements. It is also used for 

 making baskets, for interior 

 finish and in furniture making. 

 The ashes are not related to 

 the common mountain ash, 

 which belongs in the genus 

 Sorbus of the rose family. 



