The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-02
The man who knows, wants Day. break FertiIIkerH.
THE TUPELO TREE.
Experiments Designed to Add it to the
 List Demanded.

Experiments Designed to Add it to the
 List Demanded.
 Washington Special.
 Several causes have of late brought tupelo Into more prominence than 1t formerly enjoyed. The first of these is the general need of utilizing all pos- sible species, which is introducing upon the market various trees which had no standing so long as the better known kinds were freely obtainable. A second cause is that the tree is found in good quantity in mixture with cyp- ress, which is now receiving so much attention from lumbermen, and the costs of numbering cypress are so heavy that if tupelo could be numbered with it at a profit this would mean so much added return to the holder of cypress stumpage. The excellence of the wood of tupelo is also in its favor, but hith- erto this has been offset by the diffi- culties encountered in handling the lumber--difficulties which have not been wholly overcome. In this respect leading wood, which found a ready market only recently, after special study had shown that right methods of handling obviated certain defects.
 Tupelo received its scientific name of Nyssa aquatica, or water gum" be- cause of It's ability to thrive In wet sit- nations. Like cypress, 1t Is proof against floods which would kill other species, and Its distribution coincides very largely with that of cypress. The best grades of the wood are very sim liar to that of yellow poplar; they have q fine, uniform texture, are soft and workable. and will take stain we'll Such qualities signify a usefulness which must lend the wood increased
 
 twist and "stick-rot" during seasoning can be controlled. Up to the present, however. the requirements of tupelo in seasoning have been but little stu died by the manufacturer. It has not received the degree Of attention which Is due to wood of such adaptability
 When lumber io piled for drying, much depends upon the proper separa- tion of the layers or "courses,' to al- low the air to circulate. This is se- cured by inserting cross sticks. which keep the boards from touching one an- other. Many woods may be piled with but little care and yet dry straight and sound. but tupelo must be piled evenly and so as to secure straigrt-1aid boards, even at the cost of mora time and pains. It IS a common practice to use for cross sticks wood which has been irregularly sawed, so that the boards are not held flat in the courses. Tupelo will not dry well with this treatment. Furthermore. where the cross-sticks rest on the boards. tupelo is inclined to rot or stain. and before ali. drying can be brought to practical success this difficulty also must be over come. used by nanufacturdrs of cypress lum- Der. but tupelo needs d different treat ment in kiln drying from that given cypress, and cypress manufacturers, sure of a market for their cypress. and with their kiln constantly monopolized by 1t, have little inducement to exper- imenr with the less underst pod tupelo. 1 altered kiln n-drying meth l ods will doubtless be used for tupelo in | due time.
 In the effort to improve both the air | drying and kiln drying of tupelo. the l Forest Service Is experimenting to | show how the lumber may best be han iIed There can be little doubt that | the results will add another tree to | the list of Southern species which sci entifc treatment has placed within the | class of poplar market woods