82 THE TREES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



POD-BEARING TREES. 



The next Group of trees is that whose fruit is con- 

 tained in Pods, or seed-vessels, which are longer than 

 broad, like those of the Bean and Pea. It includes 

 the Locust, Red Bud, etc. 



1. Locust. (Robinia Pseudacacia, Linn.) — In the 

 Atlantic States this well known ornamental tree 

 first appears in southern Pennsylvania, and extends 

 thence along the Alleghanies to their southern ter- 

 minus. It is more common in the Western States. 

 In North Carolina I have met with it in a wild state 

 only on the lower ridges of the mountains, but prob- 

 ably it is, or was, native for some distance east of 

 the Blue Ridge. The wood is hard, compact, and 

 takes a high polish. It resists decay longer than al- 

 most any other, and hence is exceedingly valuable 

 for posts and fences. There are differences, however, 

 in the quality of the trees which it is important to 

 keep in mind. Those with a red heart are deemed 

 the best ; those with a greenish-yellow heart, the next ; 

 and those with a white heart, the least valuable. In 

 civil architecture the timber is not extensively used 

 in build in'gs,* but is employed for railroad ties and 

 sleepers, whenever it can be had. In naval archi- 

 tecture it is used to as great an extent as the supply 

 will permit. For trunnels (the wooden pins that 

 fasten the planks to the frame of vessels) it is of the 

 highest value, as, instead of decaying, it grows harder 

 with age. The wood is also used by turners instead 



