16 BULLETIN 884, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
material for sycamore blocks is low, since they are made directly 
from the log. The average price reported was approximately $12 
per 1,000 board feet at the factory. This is the lowest cost of syca- 
more reported for any industry. 
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 
Over 300,000 feet of sycamore was reported as used annually for 
musical instruments. It is largely utilized for the interior frame 
parts and braces of pianos and organs because of its fair degree of 
strength and its moderate cost. Quarter-sawed wood is occasionally 
used for the outside cases. The average price reported for these 
purposes was $15 per 1,000 board feet. This is about $3 per 1,000 
below the average price reported and indicates that not much of the 
higher grades of lumber was used. 
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 
Sycamore is used for parts of agricultural implements mainly on 
account of its availability and not because it has any particular 
qualifications for such purposes. Its use is principally for minor 
parts of such implements as thrashing machines, including hoppers, 
compartments, boxes, and chutes. For these products 290,000 board 
feet were reported as used annually. 
CARPET SWEEPERS. 
The greater part of the sycamore reported for carpet sweepers 
went into the outside pieces of the cases because of the peculiar and 
attractive figure of sycamore when quarter-sawed. An unusually 
high average price, $32, was reported for sycamore used for these 
articles, showing that for the most part a high quality of wood was 
demanded. 
TRUNKS. 
Sycamore is used in trunks chiefly for the slats. Elm makes the 
best trunk slat on account of its excellent shock-resisting ability. 
vSycamore possesses this quality to a less degree but is a fairly satis- 
factory substitute. 
SHADE ROLLERS. 
Curtain poles and Venetian blinds are often made of sycamore 
wood. Its good finishing qualities make it popular for such prod- 
ucts. For the 202,000 board feet reported, an average price of $15.40 
was paid. 
HANDLES. 
Sycamore is sometimes made into long handles of light agricultural 
tools, such as hoes and rakes. For such purposes it is, however, in- 
ferior to other woods more commonly used for these products, such 
as ash and hickory. Saw handles are also occasionally made of 
sycamore. A low average price, $14, was paid for sycamore used 
for these products. 
