The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-09

Interesting Exhibit to BE Made at the
Pan-Am erican.
Meehan's Monthly.

Meehan's Monthly.
Indigenous trees are easily recognized by
the observing inhabitants of any locality as
belonging 10 certain general classihcauons.
Pine, oak, elm, maple, chestnut and some
others common in most temperate
climates that they are familiar 10 everyone.
That these distinct divisions have been sub
divided into hundreds of minor classinca-
tons Is not so well known.
1t will be the province of the exhibit at
the Pan-American Exposition 10 demon
strate in this connection some exceedingly
interesting peculiarities, seeming mis-
takes in nature.
The large forest tree. commonly known
as Eastwood (Tilia Americana). offers an
easy illustration of this phenomenon The
Eastwood tree of commerce, at its best.
produces lumber white as bleached linen,
possessing a soft, free grain, the boards of
which are pleasant to work and do not
readily shrink nor warp. In the same
bush" are found trees of this family that
may produce lumber of any shade of yellow
or green. The grain also varies from
free" TO what lumbermen have aptly
termed lock stitch variety which may
be as easily split diagonally as lengthwise.
Names, such as white wood, which pro-
duces green-colored lumber. tu,ip, Ilnd o,nl,
pepperidge. cucumber, ETC., designating
these different grades, are very confusing
as they only possess local significance.
White pine (pnus strobus) that aristo-
crat of the pine family eighty years ago,
stood in every forest throughout the North
ern States and Canada. Ii easily held its
lofty top proudly above all other virgin
trees, until the white man came. AS fast
as the settler could accomplish the neces-
sary labor these lordly trees were felled
and burned along with their lesser neigh
bCrs in the usual process of clearing the
land. Settlers were materially assisted in
this work of destruction by the sawmill
men and the log rafter. So thorough and
persistent were these early pioneers that.
within the allotted span of one lifetime,
this noble tree disappeared.
AS though nature designed that retriDu-
ton should follow such wanton destruction,
she has persistently declined to reproduce
this valuable forest tree. Hybrid pines,
which somewhat resembled white pine.
have later stood on the same land, but that
peculiar free, velvety grain is lacking.
These hybrids called by woodsmen yell
low pine. This should not be COMPOUNDED
(pinus palustris) 1t is but lumberman's
name for what he considers a degenerate
white pine Many men learned in the
mysteries of woodcraft have claimed this
variety to be the legitimate progeny OF the
once famous white pine. If this be true,
the scrub pine common in old slashings.
must be the third generation. Scrub, or
buckwheat pine, as il is contemptuouSly
called by woodsmen, is a small variety so
full of pitch and knots as to he almost
worthless for lumber, although some of
the best trees are cut into scantlingS.
Visitors to the exposition will find the
forestry exhibit different from anything of
the kind so far undertaken. The varied
facilities and vast resources to draw from.
embracing as they do every American
country from the north pole to Cape Horn.
present possibilities that have never been
eQualed