64 FOREST RESOURCES OF TEXAS. 



sandy clays or alluvium. The wood is heavy, hard, not strong, very 

 close-grained, compact, difficult to split and work; brown in color. 

 It deca}^ rapidly in contact with the soil or on exposure, and warps 

 and cracks badly in drying. It is used for ox yokes, butchers' blocks, 

 interior finish, furniture, and very largely for tobacco boxes. 



Range. — Eastern United States from New Hampshire to eastern 

 Nebraska, and south to Florida and Texas. 

 Black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrhardt). 



Small specimens of black cherry are frequent along the gorges in the 

 Edwards Plateau. There is no specific information as to its abundance 

 in east Texas. Even the small trees are sought for by cabinetmakers. 



The largest and best trees in all parts of the Eastern United States 

 have already been cut. 



Range. — From Nova Scotia to Tampa Ba}Mn Florida, west to North 

 Dakota, eastern Nebraska and Kansas, Indian Territory and Texas; 

 also in southern New Mexico and Arizona, and in parts of Mexico 

 and Central and South America. 



Texas ebony (Zygia fiexicaulis (Bentham) Sudworth; Acacia fiexicaulis Bentharn ) . 



This is a shrub or small round-headed tree, with handsome evergreen 

 foliage, and is common on the bluffs of the lower Rio Grande and 

 Gulf Coast. Its straight trunk is seldom over a foot in diameter. 

 The wood is heavy and compact, with the several shades of ebony, and 

 taking nearly as fine a polish; hence its great value to cabinetmakers. 

 Ebony posts are reputed the most durable of any made from Texas 

 woods, and may be said to last forever. 



Range. — Gulf coast of Texas (from Matagorda Bay) to Mexico 

 (Sierra Madre Mountains in Nuevo Leon); Lower California. 



Huisache (Acacia farnesiana (Linnseus) Willdenow). 



The huisache has come to be veiy abundant, both by cultivation and 

 natural spreading, through the coast country from Galveston west- 

 ward and as far north as Brenham and San Antonio. In man}^ places 

 it covers the coast prairie like a beautiful orchard. The trunk sel- 

 dom exceeds a foot in diameter. The rose-colored wood is hard and 

 compact, excellent for cabinetwork. Huisache posts rank next to 

 those of mesquite in durabilit}^. 



The huisache is one of the most promising species for cultivation in 

 parks and residence grounds. It stands several degrees of frost easily. 

 At Austin 3° below zero failed to kill several old trees in February, 

 1899. Near Galveston during the same freeze the spring was well 

 started and the air moist; 8° above zero killed much of the huisache 

 to the ground, but it has since grown out from the stumps. 



Range.— Native in America from Rio Grande River to Northern 

 Chile; also in Australia and subtropical Africa; naturalized in West 



