cuts  (or  as  near  as  possible  along  the  lines  of  rays).  This 
brings  the  surfaces  of  the  boards  nearer  to  the  radiating  medullary 
rays  of  the  log,  thus  giving  many  of  the  dapples  on  each  surface. 
This  quarter  cutting  greatly  increases  the  cost  of  the  lumber  be- 
cause of  the  waste,  but  at  the  same  time  increases  its  strength 
and  enhances  its  beauty!  Trees  of  the  forest  that  yield  the  most 
handsome  lumber  with  a beautiful  and  well  marked  finish,  are 
those  which  have  plenty  of  room  for  growth,  which  are  exposed 
to  winds  that  cause  them  to  bend  and  toss,  and  which  have  ample 
light  and  space  for  development. 
The  composition  of  wood  is  of  importance  to  the  wood  finisher. 
It  is  briefly  but  well  explained  in  “A  Primer  of  Forestry,”  Bulletin 
Specimen  of  Oak  showing  the  dapples  or  Medullary  plates. 
No.  24  of  the  Division  of  Forestry,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. 
“Wood  is  made  up  chiefly  of  carbon,  oxygen  and  hydrogen. 
When  perfectly  dry,  about  half  its  weight  is  carbon  and  half 
oxygen  and  hydrogen,  in  almost  the  same  proportion  as  in  water. 
It  contains  also  about  one  part  in  one  hundred  by  weight  of  earthy 
constituents,  and  nitrogen  to  the  same  amount.  When  burned, 
these  materials  disappear  into  the  air,  except  the  earthy  constitu- 
ents. The  nitrogen  and  water  taken  up  by  the  roots  were  ori- 
ginally in  the  air  before  they  reached  the  ground,  it  is  true  there- 
fore, that  when  wood  is  burned,  those  parts  of  it  which  come 
from  the  air  go  back  into  it  in  the  form  of  gas,  while  those  which 
come  from  the  soil  remain  behind  in  the  form  of  ashes.” 
