10 BULLETIN" 884, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 
do, however, show the relative importance of the different industries 
in sycamore utilization. 
The largest amount of sycamore goes into the box and crate 
industry, and slack cooperage uses the next largest quantity. About 
three-fourths of the entire amount goes into these two industries. 
The use of sycamore for furniture and fixtures is an important one, 
the annual consumption being more than 10 per cent of the total. 
Two classes of uses (1) planing-mill products, sash, doors, blinds, 
and general millwork, and (2) butchers' blocks — each consumed 
about 5 per cent of the total. These five industries used about 94 
per cent of the entire amount reported by factories. 
From 100,000 to 300,000 board feet were consumed annually by 
manufacturers of each of the following: Musical instruments, agricul- 
tural implements, brooms and carpet sweepers, trunks and valises, 
shade and map rollers, handles, sewing machines, woodenware. The 
other eight industries given in Table 6 — namely, toys, brushes, vehi- 
cles, and vehicle parts, ship and boat building, saddles and harness, 
sporting and athletic goods, picture frames and molding, and laun- 
dry appliances — used small amounts totaling only about 1 per cent 
of that reported for all industries. 
The prices paid for sycamore by these different industries ranged 
from $12 per 1,000 board feet for butchers' blocks to $32 per 1,000 
for carpet sweepers. In the case of the former, material was pur- 
chased in the log, and low-grade material could be used. For the 
latter, the quartered wood was largely used, and this brought a 
comparatively high price. 
The average price paid for sycamore by manufacturers was $18 
per 1,000 board feet. All prices are given f. o. b. factory. Reports 
on cost of raw material were not secured from slack cooperage plants, 
and the average cost of sycamore for such uses is, therefore, not 
available. 
A list of products made of sycamore, arranged by industries, is 
shown in the appendix. 
BOXES AND CRATES. 
Sycamore is favored for boxes to hold certain products which are 
easily contaminated by contact with most woods. It has long been 
the favorite wood for boxes for plug tobacco, which is easily stained 
and acquires an unpleasant taste and odor from many woods. It is 
considered the most suitable wood for this purpose, not only because 
of its noncontaminating qualities but also because of its moderate 
degree of strength and its attractive appearance. More sycamore is 
used for boxes for plug tobacco than for any other product. Tobacco 
boxes were formerly made of solid wood and were nailed together, 
and sycamore served well because it did not split easily. Now, how- 
ever, they are commonly made of plywood, glued together and lock- 
