UTILIZATION OF BASS WOOD. 47 
the price for very high-grade lumber. Some firms using large quan- 
tities of basswood for other purposes find it advantageous to utilize 
small clear pieces in the manufacture of small laundry articles, such 
as washboards. Basswood has been so high-priced and difficult to 
obtain in recent years that many manufacturers of laundry appli- 
ances have been compelled to substitute yellow poplar, although its 
color is not generally liked so well, and much of it is more difficult 
to work. 
The largest quantities of basswood used for these products have 
been reported from Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. 
TOBACCO BOXES. 
Because of the difficulty of obtaining Spanish cedar, which is the 
standard cigar-box wood, a large number of substitutes are em- 
ployed. A satisfactory wood for cigar boxes should work well into 
thin lumber or veneer, hold its shape, nail without splitting, and 
have an attractive appearance. Basswood, stained to resemble 
Spanish cedar, is probably the best substitute. The imitation is 
made even more complete by passing the thin lumber between rollers 
which stamp it to give the appearance of the genuine cedar, and the 
cedar odor may be imparted by washing it with extract of cedar 
shavings and sawdust. Only the highest grade of lumber is used 
for this purpose. It is carefully piled on sticks and kiln-dried just 
before it is resawed into thin cigar-box lumber, which is usually 
about three-sixteenths of an inch in thickness. Basswood is also 
used as core, on which thin veneer of Spanish cedar is glued, and is 
well adapted for this purpose. 
Some basswood goes into the construction of tobacco boxes of 
other kinds, because it does not impart stain or odor to substances 
in contact with it. It is also used for humidors, which prevent 
cigars from drying out. Yellow poplar is also used for these pur- 
poses. Tupelo and red gum are likewise employed for these uses; 
but they are less desirable, because of the darker color of the woods 
and their tendency to warp. 
The greater part of the basswood reported for the manufacture 
of cigar boxes was used in Wisconsin factories. 
BOOT AND SHOE FINDINGS. 
The principal use of basswood in boot and shoe findings is for shoe 
forms or fillers. These are similar in shape to the last, which is of 
some hardwood, usually hard maple. Shoe forms are used to main- 
tain the natural 'shape of the shoe in samples displayed in show 
cases and when being handled by traveling salesmen. They are 
made to fit the shoe perfectly and give an effect similar to that 
produced when the shoe is on the foot. Fillers should be light in 
