24 BULLETIN 683, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
clean and white, is free from stain, taste, and odor, and has con- 
siderable stiffness and strength. It is a very desirable wood where 
frequent scrubbings are necessary. Elm has been employed to a 
considerable extent in the manufacture of refrigerators. It is not 
altogether satisfactory, however, because it warps in damp situa- 
tions. Ash is much preferred, but often costs considerably more. 
An average price of $23.72 per thousand feet is paid for elm for 
these uses. 
FURNITURE. 
Elm does not hold a place of first importance as a furniture wood; 
but it is useful for many purposes in the industry, which uses more 
than 12,000,000 board feet annually, exclusive of what goes into 
fixtures and chairs. Its place is in cheap furniture or the interior 
parts of more expensive kinds. Much of the elm used for furniture 
goes into the framework, on account of its strength and its ability to 
hold screws and stand shocks. It is used especially for the frame- 
work of upholstered furniture. In recent years it has been success- 
fully finished to imitate birch, maple, and cherry. Elm also makes 
a good wood for bed slats. An average price of $24.50 per thousand 
at the factory is reported. This is very little less than the average 
price reported for birch and maple for the same industry. 
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 
Over 7,000,000 feet of elm annually is reported as used for agri- 
cultural implements. It serves principally as the framework and as 
bent wood in many different kinds of farm implements, for which it 
is especially suitable, because it is comparatively light, strong, and 
serviceable. Cork elm and white elm are in demand for parts of 
cultivators, hayrakes, hay balers, thrashing machines, and reapers. 
White elm is commonly used for drill boxes. Cork elm is in good 
demand for plow handles because of its strength, ability to stand 
shock well, hardness, adaptability to bent work, and ability to take 
a smooth polish and wear smooth with use. The average cost of 
elm reported for these uses is $30.89 per thousand feet at the factory. 
Evidently a high quality of elm is demanded. 
TRUNKS AND VALISES. 
One of the most suitable uses for elm is for trunks. It often 
goes into the framework. Its chief place, however, is in the slats 
on the outside, where it is extremely resistent to wear and not easily 
broken. Few woods are considered equal to elm for this purpose. 
An average cost of $26.53 per thousand feet is reported by the 
factories. 
FIXTURES. 
Elm is in good demand by makers of church furniture, by whom 
it is made principally into curved pew seats. They like it because 
it bends well without steaming and glues well. The seats are built 
up from kiln-dry elm squares, which are glued together and held in 
