ASH 131 



American kinds, in the best quality, lightest and most uniform ; in 

 second quality, slightly stained alternately red and yellow ; and in 

 the third quality, mottled red. It is of much slower growth than 

 Common Ash, the rings being only about half the width of those 

 in that species, very distinct, with a narrow zone of spring-wood 

 and fewer larger vessels. Though it may be termed rather heavy, 

 it is less so than the European species, moderately hard, but very 

 tough and elastic, except in the oldest timber, clean and straight 

 in grain, very easy to work, and standing well after seasoning. 



In America it is used for all purposes to which Common Ash is 

 apphed in England. The small wood of young trees or stools, 

 which is mostly sap wood and white, is the best material for oars. 

 Larger logs, when white, are much sought after for bedroom and 

 other furniture, and for coach-panels ; but the more coloured logs 

 are universally considered by the trade inferior in strength and 

 durability, though, being more easily worked, they are used by 

 cabinet-makers for drawers and carcass work, for which European 

 Ash is never employed. It occurs generally throughout Canada 

 and the Eastern United States, chiefly on river-banks, and is the 

 species imported into England for bending and carriage- work. 



Ash, Arkansas. See Ash, Water. 



Ash, Black, Hoop, Ground, Swamp, or Nova Scotia {Frdxinus nigra 

 Marshall = jP. sambucifolia Lam. : Order Oledcece). Germ, " schwarze 

 Esehe," French " frene noire," Span. " fresno negro." S.G. 632, 

 W 38 — 44-5, Co-efficient of elasticity 87,185, R 806 kilos. Re- 

 sistance to longitudinal pressure 423, Resistance to indentation 194. 

 Height 80 ft. or more, diam. 2 — 2-| ft. Slow-grown, trees 22 in. 

 in diameter having 234 annual rings. Sap wood thin, light brown, 

 or nearly white, sharply contrastmg with the dark brown heart. 

 Numerous thin medullary rays. Spring- wood with crowded ducts 

 forming a narrow sharply-defined zone. Moderately heavy, rather 

 soft, not strong, but tough, elastic, coarse-grained, separating easily 

 between the rings, not durable, except under water. 



Less valuable than White Ash, but much used in America for 

 furniture and interior finishing, and for fencing and hoops. The 

 Indians use it for making chair-bottoms and " spHnt " baskets, 

 working it '' into sticks as wide along the rings as the spHnts are 

 to be, and perhaps 2 inches thick. These are then bent sharply 

 in the plane of the radius of the rings when they separate into thin 

 strips nearly or quite as many as the rings of growth " (Romeyn 

 Hough). Large wart-like swelhngs, or " burls," on the trunk, with 

 much contorted grain crossed by innumerable radiating " pins," 

 or abortive branches, form, when cut tangentially, very valuable 

 veneers. 



Swampy situations from Newfoimdland and Winnipeg south- 

 ward, the most northern American Ash. 



9—2 



