6 
BULLETIN 884, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
of sycamore are secured in this way along the lower Tennessee and 
Cumberland Rivers. Factories located on the lower Ohio River 
can usually get a sufficient supply for their needs. In other regions, 
however, factories seeking large amounts of sycamore are generally 
unable to get a sufficient quantity and have been greatly incon- 
venienced by lack of a steady supply. In most cases such factories 
have been obliged to a considerable degree to substitute other woods 
for svcamore. 
Fig. 2. — Distribution of the sycamore tree (Platanus occidentalis). 
Sycamore timber is so widely scattered and in compact bodies so 
small that an accurate estimate of the stand is impossible. Sycamore 
is a bottom-land tree, and its favorite habitat is along river banks 
and on islands which rise above the surface of the water at low 
stages. The tree, is thus doubly useful in protecting river banks 
from washing and in providing useful timber. Its choice of location 
is a strong factor in keeping up the supply, since it grows extensively 
on land which is unsuitable for cultivation. There is, of course, 
less sycamore in the country than there was before the fertile valleys 
were cleared. A future limited supply is assured, however, from 
areas that are not useful for agricultural purposes. 
