88 FORESTRY INVESTIGATIONS U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Toughness, strength, aocl hardness combined are sought by the wagon maker. The carriage 

 builder, cooper, and shingle maker look for straight-grained, easy splitting woods, and for a 

 long fiber, the absence' of disturbing resinous and coloring matter, knots, etc. Durability under 

 exposure to the weather, resistance to indentation, and the holding of spikes are required for a 

 good railroad tie; lasting qualities, elasticity, and proportionate dimensions of length and diameter 

 for telegraph poles. 



Sometimes in practice it is immaterial whether the stick be of white oak or red oak, and many 

 wood yards make no distinction, in fact do not know any, but the experienced cooper will quickly 

 distinguish, not by name, perhaps, but by quality, the more porous red or black oak from the less 

 porous white species. On the other hand, the very same white oak — Qtierctw alba, usually a 

 superior article — may furnish so poor material for a handle or a plow beam that a stick of red oak 

 would be preferable. The inspection, then, must be made not only for the species but for the 

 quality, with reference to the purpose for which the stick is to be used. 



LIST OF THE MORE IMPORTANT WOODS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



A. CONIFEROUS WOODS. 



Woods of simple and uniform structure, generally light, soft but stiff; abundant in suitable dimensions and 



forming by far the greatest part of all tbe lumber used. 



Cedar. — Light, soft, stiff, not strong, of fine texture; sap and heartwood distinct, the former lighter, the latter a dull 

 grayish brown, or red. The wood seasons rapidly, shrinks and checks but little, and is very durable. Used like 

 soft pine, but owing to its great durability preferred for shingles, etc. Small sizes used for posts, ties, etc. 1 

 Cedars usually occur scattered, but they form, in certain localities, forests of considerable extent. 

 a. White cedars. — Heartwood a light grayish brown. 



1. White cedar (Thuya occiden tails) (Arbor-vitas): Scattered along streams and lakes, frequently covering exten- 



sive swamps; rarely large enough for lumber, but commonly used for posts, ties, etc. Maine to Minnesota 

 and northward. 



2. Canoe cedar (Thuya plieata) (red cedar of the West) : In Oregon and Washington a v<*ry large tree, covering 



extensive swamps ; in the mountains much smaller, skirting the water courses; an important lumber tree. 

 Washington to northern California and eastward to Montana. 



3. White cedar (Chamacyparis thyoides): Medium-sized tree, wood very light and soft. Along the coast from 



Maine to Mississippi. 



4. White cedar (Chamcreyparis lawsoniana) (Port Orford cedar, Oregon cedar, Lawson's cypress, ginger pine): A 



very large tree, extensively cut for lumber; heavier and stronger than the preceding. Along the coast line 

 of Oregon. 



5. White cedar (Libocedrus decmrens) (incense cedar): A large tree, abundantly scattered among pine and fir; 



wood fine grained. Cascades and Sierra Nevada of Oregon and California. 

 1), Red cedars. — Heartwood red. 

 G. Red cedar (Juniperus rirglniana) (Savin juniper): Similar to white cedar, but of somewhat liner texture. 

 Used in cabinetwork in cooperage, for veneers, and especially for lead pencils, for which purpose alone 

 several million feet are cut each year. A small to medium sized tree scattered through the forests, or, in the 

 West, sparsely covering extensive areas (cedar brakes). The red cedar is the most widely distributed conifer 

 of the United States, occurring from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Florida to Minnesota, but attains 

 a suitable size lor lumber only in the Southern, and more especially the Gulf, States. 



7. Redwood (Sequoia semper vir ens) : Wood in its quality and uses like white cedar; the narrow sap wood whitish; 



the heartwood light red, soon turning to brownish red when exposed. A very large tree, limited to the 

 coast ranges of California, and forming considerable forests, which are rapidly being converted into lumber. 

 Cypress. 



8. Cypress (Taxodium distickum) (bald cypress; black, white, and red cypress): Wood in appearance, quality, 



and uses similar to white cedar. "Black cypress" and "white cypress" are heavy and light forms of the 



same species. The cypress is a large deciduous tree, occupying much of the sw^amp and overflow laud along 



the coast and rivers of the Southern States. 



Fir. — This name is frequently applied to wood and to trees which are not fir; most commonly to spruce, but also, 



especially in English markets, to pine. It resembles spruce, but is easily distinguished from it, as well as from 



pine and larch, by the absence of resin ducts. Quality, uses, and habits similar to spruce. 



9. Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) : A medium-sized tree scattered throughout the northern pineries; cut, in lumber 



operations whenever of sufficient size, and sold with pine or spruce. Minnesota to Maine and northward. 



10. White fir (Abies grandls and Abies concolor): Medium to very large sized trees, forming an important part of 

 most of the Western mountain forests, and furnishing much of the lumber of the respective regions. The 

 former occurs from Vancouver to central California and eastward to Montana; the latter from Oregon to 

 Arizona and eastward to Colorado and New Mexico. 



1 Since almost all kinds of woods are used for fuel and charcoal, and in the construction of fences, sheds, barns, 

 etc., the enumeration of these uses has been omitted m this list. 



