The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1901-01-29
SECRETS OF THE WOODS.
The Forestry Exhibit and What IL
VIII Reveal at DuHRIO's
Exposition.

Indigenous trees are easily recog-
nized by the observing inhabitants of
any locality as belonging to certain
general classifcations.
Pine. oak, elm, maple, chestnut and
some others are so common in most
temperate climates that they are fami-
liar to every one. That these distinct
divisions have been subdivided into
hundreds of minor classifcations is not
so we'll known.
1t win be in the province of the ex-
hibit at the Pan-American exposition
to demonstrate in this connection some
exceedingly interesting peculiarities
or seeming mistakes in nature, writes
Herbert Shearer in the exposition bull
letin.
The large forest tree commonly
known as Eastwood CTi1ia Americana)
offers an easy illustration of this phe-
nomenon. The Eastwood tree of COM
merce, at its best, produces lumber as
white as bleached linen, possessing
soft free grain, the boards of which are
pleasant to work" and do not readily
shrink or warp. In the same ''bush"
are found trees of this family that may
prod zee lumber of any shade of yell
low IT green. The grain also varies
from "free" to what lumbermen have
aptly termed ''lock stitch" a variety
which may be as easily split diagonally
as leng +hwisc. Names, such as white
wood, which produces green colored
lumber, tulip, linden, pepperidge, Gu
cumber, ETC., designating these differ
ent grades, are very confusing as they
only possess local significance.
White pine (Pinus Strobus), that
aristOcrat of the pine family so years
ego, stood in every forest throughout
the northern states and Canada. 1t
easily held is lofty top proudly above
all other virgin trees. until the white
man came. As fast as the settler could
accomplish thu necessary labor these
lordly trees ere felled and burned
along with their lesser neighbors in the
usual process Of clearing the land.
Settlers were materially assisted in
this work of destruction by the saw
mill men and IL e log rafter. So thor
ough and persistent were these early
pioneers that within the allotted span
of one lifetime this noble tree disap-
peared.
AS though natrre designed that ret
ribution should 70 low such wanton de-
structior, she has persistently de-
clined to reproduce this valuable for
est tree Hybrid pines have later stood
on the same land, Thjch somewhat re-
sembled white pine. but that peculiar
free velvety grain is lacking. These
hybrids are called by woodsmen yell
low pine (Pirus Palustris). 1t is but c
! lumbermaH's name for what he con-
siders a degenerate white pine. Many
men learned in the mysteries OF wood
craft have claimed this variety to be
| the illegitimate progeny of the once
famous white pine. If this be true, the
scrub pine so common in old slashings
must be the third generation. Scrub,
or buckwheat pine, as it is contenptu'
ously called by woodsmen, is a small
variety, so full of pitch and knots as to
be almost worthless for lumber, al
though some of the best trees are cut
| into scantling.
Visitors to the exposition will find
/ the forestry exhibit different from any
thing of the kind so far undertaken.
The varied facilities and vast resources
to draw from, embracing as they do ev-
cry American country from the north
pole to Cape Horn, present possibilities
! that has never been equaled.