The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-06
SECRETS OF THE woods
The Forestry Exhibit at the Pan.
American Exposition.
Many Interesting Hybrid Varieties
Known Only to the Specialists to
re shown at the Coming Big
Show Mt Buffalo All Western
Hemisphere Countries Represented

Indigenous trees are easily recognized by
the observing inhabitants of any locality
as belonging to certain general classiica-
tons. Pine, oak. elm. maple, chestnut,
and some others, are SO common in most
| temperate climates that they are familiar
to everyone. That these distinct divisions
have been subdivided into hundreds of
minor classifcations is not so well known.
1t will be in the province of tle exhibit.
at the Pan-American Exposition, to be held
at Buffalo this year, beginning May l, to
demonstrate in this connection some ex-
ceedirgly interesting peculiarities, or
| seeming mistakes in nature.
| The large forest tree commonly known
: as Eastwood (Tilia Americana offers an
easy Illustration OF this phenomenon Ths
| hasswood tree OF commerce, at its best,
, produces lumber as white rs bleached
I linen, possessing a 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 fam
lily that nay produce lumber OF any shade
of yellow or green. The grain also varies
from free to what lumbermen have apt
ly termed ''lock STITCH q variety which
may be as easily split diagonally as length
wise. Names, such as whitewood. which
produces green colored lumber, tulip. lin
den. pepperidge, cucumber. etc. designa-
ing these different grades, are very con-
fusins, as they only possess local signih-
canoe.
White pine (Pinus strobusl. that arls-
tocrat of the pine family, eighty years ago
stood in every forest throughout the
Northern States and Canada 1t easily
held its lofty top proudly above all other
virgin trees, until the white man came.
AS fast as the settler could accomplish
the necessary labor, these lordly trees
were feiled and burned along with their
lesser neighbors, in the usual process OF
clearing the land Settlers were mate
rally assisted in this work of destruc-
ton by the sawmill men and the log
rafter. So thorough and persistent were
these early pioneers that within the al
lotted span of one lifetime this noble tree
disappeared.
As though nature designed that retri-
button should follow such wanton destruc-
ton. she has persistently declined to re-
produce this valuable forest tree. Hy-
brid pines have later stood on the same
land which somewhat reselnbled white
pine but that peculiar free vslyety grain
is lacking. These hybrids are called by
woodsmen yellow pine. This should not
be COMPOUNDED with the Southern yellow,
or Georgia pine Pinus Palustris). Ii is
but a lumberman's name for what he con-
siders degenerate white pine. Many
men learned in the mysteries of wooderaft
have claimed this variety 10 be the ille-
climate progeny of the on famous white
pine. If this be true the scrub pine so
common in old slashings must be the
third generation. Scrub, or buckwneat
pine. as it is contemptuously called by
woodsmen, is a small variety, so full OF
pitch and knots as to be almost worth
less for lumber. although some OF the best
trees are cut into scantling.
Visitors to the Exposition, so the man
ayers assert. 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 pos
sihiliaies that have never been equaled.