Manufacture of furniture, carriage-frames, cooperage, and fuel.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
35.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,200,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
9400.
Remarks.
One of the valuable deciduous trees of the Pacific coast. Thrives only on moist soils and in moist climates. [p035]
The different species of elm are distributed over the cold and temperate portions of the northern hemisphere, save western United States and Canada. A high degree of perfection is attained in eastern North America, where trees are greatly prized for their form and appearance.
The foliage of the elm is concentrated at the top, and the absence of lower branches causes it to be a good tree to plant near houses or along streets. Much of the wood is tough, fibrous, durable, strong, hard, heavy, and, because it is so often cross-grained, difficult to split and work. The large pores of the spring wood arranged in one or several rows mark the annual deposit, while the minute pores of the summer wood arranged in concentric wavy lines are so peculiar as to distinguish this wood from all others. The tall, straight trunks afford pieces of considerable size. Elm piles sustain constant and severe shocks for long intervals. The grain arrangement of elm is often very beautiful, so that it is increasingly used for decoration. It is more commonly employed in the construction of cars, wagons, boats, agricultural implements, machinery, and furniture.
The shape of the trees is so marked as to cause them to be easily noted. Fifteen or sixteen species have been recognized. Five are known to exist in the eastern American forests, and all of them furnish good wood of commercial importance. Ulmus was the ancient name of the elm. [p036]
Geo. B. Emerson's "Trees and Shrubs of Massachusetts."
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
White Elm (local and common name).
Water Elm (Miss., Tex., Ark., Mo., Ill., Ia., Mich., Minn., Neb.).
Elm (Mass., R. I., Conn., N. J., Pa., N. C., S. C., Ia., Wis.).
American Elm (Vt., Mass., R. I., N. Y., Del., Pa., N. C., Miss., Tex., Ill., Ohio, Kans., Neb., Mich., Minn.).
Locality.
East of Rocky Mountains, Newfoundland to Florida, westward intermittently to Dakota, Nebraska, and Texas.
Features of Tree.
Ninety to one hundred feet in height, three to seven feet in diameter. Characteristic and beautiful form, smooth buds; leaves, smaller than those of Slippery-elm, are rough only when rubbed one way.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light brown, sapwood yellowish white, rather coarse-grained, annual rings clearly marked.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Strong, tough, fibrous, difficult to split.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Flooring, wheel-stock, cooperage, ship-building, flumes, piles.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
34 (U. S. Forestry Division.)[24]
40.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,540,000 (average of 18 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[24]
1,060,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
10,300 (average of 18 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[24]
12,100.
Remarks.
The concentration of foliage at top, together with the form of the tree, renders it valuable in landscape work. It does not cause dense shade. Elm and silver-maple trees are among the first to show life in spring. Discarded brownish scales then cover ground in vicinity. [p037]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Cork Elm (local and common name).
Hickory Elm (Mo., Ill., Ind., Ia.).
Rock Elm (R. I., W. Va., Ky., Mo., Ill., Wis., Ia., Mich., Nebr.).
White Elm (Ont.).
Cliff Elm (Wis.).
Locality.
Quebec and Vermont, westward intermittently to Nebraska and Tennessee. Best developed in southern Ontario and Michigan.
Features of Tree.
Seventy to ninety feet in height, two to three feet in diameter. Thick, corky, irregular projections give bark a shaggy appearance and mark the species.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light brown, often tinged with red; sapwood yellowish or greenish white. Compact structure, fibres interlaced.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, very strong, tough, difficult to split, susceptible of a beautiful polish, elastic.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Heavy agricultural implements, wheel-stocks, railway ties, sills, bridge-timbers, axe-helves, etc.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
45.
Modulus of Elasticity.
2,550,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
15,100.
Remarks.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Slippery Elm, Red Elm (local and common name).
Rock Elm (Tenn.).
Redwooded Elm (Tenn.).
Moose Elm (occasional).
Locality.
Ontario and Florida, westward intermittently to Nebraska and Texas. Best developed in Western States.
Features of Tree.
Forty-five to sixty feet in height, one to two feet in diameter. Characteristic shape, mucilaginous inner bark. Buds hairy. Leaves, larger than American Elm, are rough when rubbed either way.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood dark brown or red, sapwood lighter, compact structure, annual layers marked by rows of large open ducts. Heartwood greatly preponderates.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, strong, and durable in contact with soil.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Largely used for fence-posts, rails, railway ties, sills, sleigh-runners, and wheel-stocks. Mucilaginous bark, employed in medicine.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
43.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,300,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
12,300.
Remarks.
Nomenclature.
Wing Elm, Winged Elm (local and common names).
Wahoo, Whahoo (W. Va., N. C., S. C., La., Tex., Ky., Mo.).
Cork Elm, Corky Elm (Fla., S.C., Tex.).
Mountain Elm, Red Elm (Fla., Ark.).
Elm, Witch Elm (W. Va.).
Water Elm (Ala.).
Small-leaved Elm (N. C.).
Wahoo Elm (Mo.).
Locality.
Southern United States, Virginia and Florida westward intermittently to southern Illinois and Texas.
Features of Tree.
Forty feet or more in height, one to two feet in diameter. Corky "wings" on branches.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Color brownish, sapwood lighter, close-grained, compact structure.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Hard, heavy, tough.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
46.
Modulus of Elasticity.
740,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
10,200.
Remarks.
The maples grow on all of the continents of the northern hemisphere. Nearly one half of the known species belong in China, Japan, and the Orient. The principal European species (Acer pseudo-platanus) is the European sycamore.[25] The hard or sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is one of the principal deciduous trees of North America.
Maple wood[26] is characterized by its appearance and by its fine compact texture. The first quality is so marked that selected pieces take rank among the most beautiful of cabinet woods; the last is so pronounced as to fit it for carvings and even for type. "Birdseye," "blister," and "curly" maples are not from different species, but are the results of fibre distortions, possible in some form in any tree of any species, but peculiarly liable to occur in the maple; birdseye and blister effects for the most part in the hard maples, curly effects in the hard, but generally in the softer, species. The distortions do not occur in all trees, and it is seldom possible to tell whether the woods are thus figured until after the trees have been cut. Maple wood shrinks moderately, stands well in protected places, is strong, tough, but not durable when exposed. Pores are not arranged in circles, but are scattered irregularly throughout the layers. Maple is used for ceiling, flooring, panelling, car and ship construction, shoe-lasts, shoe-pegs, furniture, school supplies, implements, and machinery. Sugar is principally, although not exclusively, present in the sap of the sugar maple.[27] The softer species are sometimes [p041] tapped, and sugar is also present in the sap of other trees, such as the butternut and birch. A sugar maple will, on an average, produce about twenty-five gallons of sap, containing a total of about six pounds of sugar, in a season.
The Boxelder (Acer negundo) is a true maple, remarkable in that it is widely distributed from Canada to Mexico and from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains, on low bottom lands, and at elevations of five thousand and six thousand feet.[28] The trees are beautiful and, like other maples are valued for ornamental purposes. The soft, light wood is not particularly noted, although occasionally used for woodenware, interior finish, and paper-pulp. Small quantities of sugar are present in the sap of this tree.
The maples may be told by their leaves of characteristic shape, but chiefly by their two-seeded fruit or "keys," the two wings of which spread differently in different species. The leaves of some species change in autumn from green to red and other brilliant colors. Those of other species change to yellow without trace of red. Sixty to seventy species have been distinguished, nine of which occur in North America. [p042]
[26] These notes apply to the American product.
[27] Vermont, New York, and Michigan produce the larger portion of the about fifty million pounds of sugar and three million gallons of syrup annually manufactured in the United States. Third Annual Report of the Fisheries, Game, and Forestry Commissioners, New York, 1897, p. 308.
[28] Sargent.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Sugar Maple, Hard Maple (local and common names).
Black Maple (Fla., Ky., N. C.).
Sugar Tree (frequent).
Rock Maple (Me., Vt., N. H., Conn., Mass., R. I., N. Y., Tenn., Ill., Mich., Ia., Kans., Wis., Minn.).
Locality.
Best development Maine to Minnesota; range extends southward to Florida and Texas.
Features of Tree.
Seventy to one hundred feet and more in height, one and one-half to four feet in diameter. The fruit or "maple-key" with wings less than right angles ripen in early autumn; one seed-cavity is usually empty. Foliage turns to brilliant reds and other colors later. Large impressive tree.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood brownish, sapwood lighter, close-grained, compact structure, occasional "curly," "blister," or "birdseye" effects.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Tough, heavy, hard, strong, susceptible of good polish, wears evenly, not durable when exposed.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Furniture, shoe-lasts, piano-actions, wooden type for showbills, pegs, interior finish, flooring, ship-keels, vehicles, fuel, veneers, rails, etc.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
43.
Modulus of Elasticity.
2,070,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
16,300.
Remarks.
Birdseye, blister, and to a less extent curly and landscape effects pronounced in this species. Saccharum refers to sugar manufactured from the sap. Hard maple is because of hardness of wood. [p043]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Silver Maple, Soft Maple (local and common names).
Swamp Maple (W. Va., Md.).
Water Maple (Pa., W. Va.).
River Maple (Me., N. H., R. I., W. Va., Minn.).
White Maple (Me., Vt., R. I., N. Y., N. J., Pa., W. Va., N. C, S. C., Ga., Fla., Ala., Miss., La., Ky., Mo., Ill., Ind., Kans., Nebr., Minn.).
Locality.
New Brunswick to Florida, westward intermittently to Dakota and Indian Territory. Best development in lower Ohio River basin.
Features of Tree.
Forty to ninety feet in height, occasionally higher. Three to five feet in diameter. Fine shape, sometimes suggests elm. Fruit or "maple-key" with long, stiff, more than right-angled wings ripens in early summer. Leaves whitish beneath, turn showing yellow, but little or no red, in autumn.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood reddish brown, sapwood ivory-white, fine grain, compact structure. Fibres sometimes twisted, waved, or curly.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Light, brittle, easily worked, moderately strong; receives high polish. Not durable when exposed.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Woodenware, turned work, interior decoration, flooring, fuel.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
32.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,570,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
14,400.
Remarks.
Waved, spiral, or curly figure pronounced in this species, very real resemblance to lights and shadows on planed surfaces. Small quantities of sugar present in sap, occasionally utilized. [p044]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Red Maple, Swamp Maple (local and common names).
Soft Maple (Vt., Mass., N. Y., Va., Miss., Mo., Kans., Neb., Minn.).
Water Maple (Miss., La., Tex., Ky., Mo.).
White Maple (Me., N. H.).
Red Flower (N. Y.).
Locality.
New Brunswick and Florida, westward intermittently to Dakota and Texas. Wide range.
Features of Tree.
Sixty to eighty feet and more in height, two and one-half to four feet in diameter. Red twigs and flowers in early spring.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood brown tinged with red, sapwood lighter, close-grained, compact structure. Red blossoms, twigs, and stems. Leaves turn scarlet in autumn.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Easily worked, heavy, hard, not strong, elastic, qualities between those of silver and sugar maple.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Largely used in cabinet-making, turnery, woodenware, gun-stocks, etc.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
38.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,340,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
15,000.
Remarks.
Occasionally shows "curly" figure. Trees are occasionally tapped and small quantities of sugar are obtained from the sap. [p045]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Oregon Maple (Oreg., Wash.).
White Maple (Oreg., Wash.).
Maple (Calif.).
Broad-leaved Maple (Central Calif., Willamette Valley, Oreg.).
Locality.
Alaska to California. Best in rich bottom lands of southern Oregon.
Features of Tree.
Seventy to one hundred feet in height, three to five feet in diameter. Beautiful appearance.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Reddish brown, sapwood whitish, close-grained, compact structure, occasionally figured.
Structural Qualities.
Light, hard, strong; receives polish.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Locally used for tool-handles, turned work, and furniture.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
30.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,100,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
9720.
Remarks.
Ornamental tree has been introduced into Europe. Said to be one of the most valuable Pacific coast broadleaf woods. [p046]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Boxelder, Ash-leaved Maple (local and common name).
Red River Maple, Water Ash (Dak.).
Cut-leaved Maple (Colo.).
Stinking Ash (S. C).
Negundo Maple (Ill.).
Three-leaved Maple (Fla.).
Black Ash (Tenn.).
Sugar Ash (Fla.).
Locality.
Atlantic Ocean westward intermittently to Rocky Mountains, Mexico.
Features of Tree.
Forty to seventy feet in height, one and one-half to three feet in diameter. Wings to keys are straight or incurved. Leaves sparingly and coarsely toothed, show yellow but little or no red in autumn.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Thin heartwood, cream-white; sapwood similar; close-grained, compact structure.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Light, not strong, soft.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Woodenware, cooperage, etc., paper-pulp (largely), occasionally interior finish.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
26.
Modulus of Elasticity.
82,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
7500.
Remarks.
A rapid grower. Withstands severe climatic changes. A good tree to plant in naturally treeless sections. Sugar is sometimes obtained from the sap of this species. The "Boxelder" is a true maple. [p047]
| Black Walnut Tree (Juglans nigra). | Black Walnut Trunk (Juglans nigra). |
| Black, White, and English Walnuts. | Black Walnut Wood (Juglans nigra). |
The English or Royal Walnut (Juglans regia), a native of Persia, was the only available species of this genus until the introduction of the nearly similar Black Walnut of North America.[29] As oak gave way first to soft woods for construction, so it gave way first to walnut for cabinet purposes. The wood soon became very fashionable, and exorbitant prices were paid for it. Walnut was extremely popular in the United States until about 1880, when oak began to resume its place as the popular cabinet wood. The nuts of the English or Persian walnut are better than those of the American species, but the wood of the latter is superior.
The use of walnut wood for gun-stocks began in Europe, the demands early becoming so great that, until the general peace following the battle of Waterloo, the greater part of the French product was diverted for that purpose, while prices rose in England so that six hundred pounds sterling is reported to have been paid for a single tree. In spite of the innumerable woods that have since been introduced, this one is yet regarded as best for gun-stocks.[30] Walnut is a firm, hard, chocolate-colored wood, with pores not arranged in rings but scattered somewhat irregularly. The sombre, although rich, color has been objected to for some positions. Large excrescences or "burrs" are common on foreign trees, particularly those near the Black Sea and in Italy. The grain in such growths is beautifully irregular, and the wood, known as "burl," is prized for veneers. Trees are very scarce, and walnut is now seldom seen save in cabinet work or gun-stocks. The related White Walnut or Butternut (Juglans cinerea) affords a less-prized and [p048] lighter-tinted wood. The nuts of the walnuts are a source of profit.
Black walnut trees seldom form forests by themselves, but occur generally in mixed growth. They grow quickly, but the heartwood for which the tree is valued begins to form only when the tree is at a considerable age, so that a number of years must elapse before a tree can produce wood of the desired quality. Trees one hundred years old furnish the best quality of wood.
Walnut trees may be known by their nuts, the husks or pods of which adhere unbroken, instead of loosening, completely divide into four sections, as with the hickories. Juglans is from Jovis, signifying Jove's, and glans, signifying acorn. This nut, not the fruit of the oak, was the acorn of the ancients.[31] [p049]
[29] About the middle of the seventeenth century.
[30] France used twelve thousand trees in 1806. (Stevenson's "Trees of Commerce," p. 77.)
[31] The ancients considered the shade of the walnut as harmful to all life. It is certain some vegetation is affected, probably by properties in fallen leaves.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Black Walnut (local and common name).
Walnut (N. Y., Del., W. Va., Fla., Ky., Mo., Ohio, Ind., Ia.).
Locality.
Ontario and Florida, westward intermittently to Nebraska and Texas.
Features of Tree.
Ninety to one hundred and twenty-five feet in height, three to eight feet in diameter. A tall handsome tree with rough brownish, almost black, bark. Large, rough-shelled nuts.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood dark, rich, chocolate-brown. Thin sapwood much lighter, rather coarse-grained.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, strong, easily worked, durable, susceptible to high polish.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Cabinet-making, gun-stocks, also formerly furniture and decoration.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
38.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,550,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
12,100.
Remarks.
The English, Royal, or Persian Walnut (Juglans regia) affords nearly similar wood. Widely distributed over Europe. Italian trees furnish best, French next, and English least desirable, paler and coarser wood. Occasional trees in Eastern United States, as New York; very plentiful in California.
Nomenclature.
Butternut, White Walnut (local and common names).
Oil Nut (Me., N. H., S. C.).
Walnut (Minn.).
White Mahogany.
Locality.
New Brunswick to Georgia, westward to Dakota and Arkansas. Best in Ohio River basin.
Features of Tree.
Medium size, sometimes seventy-five feet or over in height, two to four feet in diameter. Branches widespread; large-sized oblong edible nuts.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light gray-brown, darkening with exposure; sapwood nearly white, coarse-grained compact structure, attractive.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Light, soft, not strong, easily worked. Susceptible of high polish.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Interior finish, cabinet-work. Inner bark furnishes yellow dye.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
25.
Modulus of Elasticity.
1,150,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
8400.
Remarks.
The sap contains sugar and is occasionally mixed with maple-sap in the manufacturing of "maple" sugar. [p051]
The Hickories occur only in the eastern part of North America. They produce woods in which the qualities of toughness, elasticity, and resilience are unusually pronounced, and since these qualities are greatest in the sapwood, hickories are peculiar in that the sapwood is more valuable than the heart. Second-growth wood is much prized, since, being younger, it contains more of the pliable sapwood.[32]
Hickory is not durable when exposed and is more or less subject to attack by boring-insects. It is used for implements, machinery, carriages, and the like; hickory axe-helves have no superiors. The nuts of the shagbark or white hickory are a source of considerable profit. The pecan (Hicoria pecan) affords wood so inferior as to be little used in construction, although it makes an excellent fuel. Pecans are planted in many of the Southern States because of the nuts, for which a considerable demand exists.
The Hickories are known by their nuts, the husks or pods of which loosen completely from the nut in four pieces, instead of adhering unbroken as in the case of the walnuts. The nine species are American trees, eight of them being natives of the United States. Carya was the Greek name of the common walnut. Hickory is said to be derived from the Indian powcohicora, a liquor once obtained from the nuts of the hickory. [p052]
[32] See Second-growth Ash.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Shellbark or Shellbark Hickory (local and common name).
Scalybark Hickory (W. Va., S. C., Ala.).
Shellbark (R. I., N. Y., Pa., N. C.).
Shagbark (R. I., Ohio).
Hickory (Vt., Ohio).
Upland Hickory (Ill.).
White Hickory (Ia., Ark.).
Walnut (Vt., N. Y.).
Sweet Walnut (Vt.).
Shagbark Walnut (Vt.).
Locality.
Maine to Florida, westward intermittently to Minnesota and Texas. Wide range, best in Ohio valley.
Features of Tree.
Seventy-five to ninety feet in height, occasionally higher; two and one-half to three feet in diameter. Shaggy bark, thin-shelled edible nuts.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light brown, sapwood ivory- or cream-colored. Close-grained, compact structure. Annual rings clearly marked. Medullary rays numerous but thin.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Very heavy, very hard, strong, exceptionally tough and flexible, not durable when exposed.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Largely used for agricultural implements, wheels, and runners, axe-handles, baskets, fuel.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.
51 (U. S. Forestry Div.).[33]
52.
Modulus of Elasticity.
2,390,000 (average of 137 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[33]
1,900,000.
Modulus of Rupture.
16,000 (average of 137 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[33]
17,000.
Remarks.
The nuts form an important article of commerce. "Shagbark" refers to the shaggy appearance of the bark. [p053]
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Pignut (local and common name).
Black Hickory (Miss., La., Ark., Mo., Ind., Ia.).
Brown Hickory (Del., Miss., Tex., Tenn., Minn.).
Bitternut (Ark., Ill., Ia., Wis.).
White Hickory (N. H., Ia.).
Broom Hickory (Mo.).
Hardshell (W. Va.).
Red Hickory (Del.).
Switchbud Hickory (Ala.).
Locality.
Ontario to Florida, westward intermittently to southern Nebraska and eastern Texas.
Features of Tree.
Seventy-five to one hundred feet in height, occasionally higher; Two to four feet in diameter. Rather smooth bark. Large thick-shelled nuts, kernels often astringent or bitter.
Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood.
Heartwood light and dark brown, thick sapwood, lighter, nearly white. Close-grained.
Structural Qualities of Wood.
Heavy, hard, flexible, tough, strong.
Representative Uses of Wood.
Similar to those of shagbark hickory.
Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot.