The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-02-02
Tree That Pioneers Thought
Worthless Is Utilized by
Many Manufacturers.
SCIENTISTS COME TO RESCUE
Took Years Of investigation and Ex-
perIment--Difficult to Overcome
Inherited Natural Prejudice
That Wood Was Worthless.

Washington.-At least so per cent
Of the American-born grapdfathers
and grandmothers in the United States
are familiar with the slang meaning
of the word "basswood." That Is be-
cause such percentage Of these ven
erable persons came from the section
of the country In which the Eastwood
tree is indigenous. The reason for
the use Of such a slang term was that
Its colloquial meaning reflected the
opinion of the value of the tree. When
our grandparents wanted to describe
an utterly worthless object or even a
persoa deemed to be worthless, such
perso1s or object was said to be "bass-
wood,o because Of all the vast natural
wealth which the pioneers found in
this country the Eastwood tree was
considered of least value.
In the early days when the Ameri-
can pioHeer went into the wilderness
he had to depend on the things he
found In that environment to fill his
everyday needs. He must build his
houses Of the native woods, he must
weave his clothes of native fibers and
must raise his own food. Such CIV
ilizatlon caused these people to put
definite values upon all the products
Of nntu-e. Everything had value.
Hickory was good for ax handles and
ash for wagon spokes. Pine and all
kinds Of oak were excellent flrewood,
but Eastwood was discovered to be
good for nothing. n
It's fbers were too spongy and
strlngy to work into anything useful.
Il was not strong to Withstand pres
sure It did not last long, and II would
not burn well. Almost any other kind
Of waste wood at least would make a
good fire, but Eastwood when set
alIght would sputter for while and
go out, and what little burning 1t
would do gave very little heat In COM
parison with other fuels.
So II was not surprising that men
and women who must put definite
values on materials and on people sur
rounding them should coin new word
for their language and agree that
"basswood" should describe useless
object or worthless drone. In the
states from the Atlantic coast to the
prairIes and from Georgia and Mis-
sIssippi to the Canadian line the bass
wood tree grows in nearly every coun-
ty and in this section the slang term
Eastwood can be heard among old peo-
pie to this day.
Science 70 the Rescue.
II this were play. at this point the
words ENTER science In the form Of
the Department of Agriculture" should
bo written. To pursue the fantasy,
science would be Prince Charming
come to alter the life Of Eastwood, the
Cinderella Of the forest. 1t took some
years Of investigation and experimen-
tation and the overcoming Of the In
herited natural prejudice and belief
that basswood was worthless, but
science persisted and the other day
the Department Of Agriculture issued
from Its press booklet devoted en-
tirely to this useless wood.
The booklet lists $50 practical uses
of basswoodi
The despIsed Cinderella Of the for
est, once the scorn Of the pioneers.
now IL priced for many uses and chief
ly through the investigative work and
experimentation Of this scientific
workshop Of Uncle Sam.
The scientists Of the department