Fig. 232.
The maples are medium sized trees, of fairly rapid growth; sometimes form forests and frequently constitute a large proportion of the arborescent growth.
143. Oak.
—[Fig. 233]. Wood very variable, usually very heavy and hard, very strong and tough, porous, and of coarse texture; the sapwood whitish, the heart “oak” brown to reddish brown. It shrinks and checks badly, giving trouble in seasoning, but stands well, is durable and little subject to attacks of insects. Oak is used for many purposes; in shipbuilding, for heavy construction, in common carpentry, in furniture, car and wagon work, cooperage, turnery, and even in wood carving; also in the manufacture of all kinds of farm implements, wooden mill machinery, for piles and wharves, railway ties, etc. The oaks are medium to large sized trees, forming the predominant part of a large portion of our broad-leaved forests, so that these are generally “oak forests” though they always contain a considerable proportion of other kinds of trees. Three well marked kinds, white, red, and live oak are distinguished and kept separate in the market. Of the two principal kinds, white oak is the stronger, tougher, less porous, and more durable. Red oak is usually of coarser texture, more porous, often brittle, less durable, and even more troublesome in seasoning than white oak. In carpentry and furniture work, red oak brings about the same price at present as white oak. The red oaks everywhere accompany the white oaks, and like the latter, are usually represented by several species in any given locality. Live oak, once largely employed in shipbuilding, possesses all the good qualities (except that of size) of the white oak, even to a greater degree. It is one of the heaviest, hardest and most durable building timbers of this country; in structure it resembles the red oak but is much less porous.
Fig. 233.
144. Sycamore.
—[Fig. 234] (button wood, button-ball tree, water beech): Wood moderately heavy, quite hard, stiff, strong, tough, usually crossgrained, of coarse texture, and white to light brown color; the wood is hard to split and work, shrinks moderately, warps and checks considerably but stands well. It is used extensively for drawers, backs, bottoms, etc., in cabinetwork, for tobacco boxes, in cooperage, and also for finishing lumber, where it has too long been underrated. A large tree, of rapid growth, common and largest in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, at home in nearly all parts of the eastern United States.
