POLES AND PILING 



303 



Almost all the redwood poles, which are cut exclusively in California, 

 are sawed because this tree is seldom found in sizes suitable for pole pur- 

 poses. Redwood makes an excellent pole because of its superior dura- 

 bility, hght weight, sufficient strength, etc., but its sawed form, requiring 

 an additional cost for production, prevents its wider use over the country 

 in competition with cedar and other poles placed on the market in the 

 round form. 



Other species entering to a limited extent in the pole market in order 

 of quantity are osage orange, used locally in Oklahoma, Texas and Kan- 

 sas, spruce in the Northeast, hemlock, locust, sassafras, catalpa, mul- 

 berry, butternut, ash, elm, cottonwood and a few others used locally. 



When it is considered that five kinds of wood — cedar, chestnut, oak, 

 pine and cypress — supply over 90 per cent of all poles used it is readily 

 observed that the total amount supplied by other species is of com- 

 paratively Httle consequence in the pole trade. 



The following table prepared by the Census Bureau in co-operation 

 with the U. S. Forest Service shows the number of poles purchased by 

 species for the years 1907 to 1911, inclusive, and for the year 1915: 



NUMBER OF POLES PURCHASED 



Kind of Wood. 



191S 



1908 



Cedar 



Chestnut. ... 



Oak 



Pine 



Cypress 



Douglas fir . . 

 Tamarack . . . , 

 Redwood. ... 

 Osage orange . 



Spruce 



Juniper 



Hemlock 



Locust 



All other 



2,521,769 



651,643 



199,442 



546,233 



67,644 



Total . 



91,233 



4,077,964 



2,200,139 



516,049 



160,702 



116,749 



90,579 



19,542 



24,123 



13,061 



18,109 



8,088 



42,367 



1,998 



10,224 



27,424 



3,249,154 



2,109,477 



630,282 



76,450 



155,960 



100,368 



15,919 

 13,884 



31,469 



5,962 



10,646 



38,925 



3,301 



4,672 



85,953 

 3,^83,268 



1 Included wjth all other. 



