Wood and Forest Part 17

25

WHITE CEDAR.

_Chamaecyparis thyoides_ (Linnaeus) B. S. P.

_Chamaecyparis_ means low cypress; _thyoides_ means like _thuya_ (_Aborvitae_).

[Ill.u.s.tration: Habitat.]

HABITAT: (See map); best in Virginia and North Carolina.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Leaf.]

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TREE: Height, 60'-80'; diameter, 2'-4'; branches, low, often forming impenetrable thickets; bark, light reddish brown, many fine longitudinal fissures, often spirally twisted around stem; leaves, scale-like, four-ranked; cones, globular, 1/4"

diameter.

APPEARANCE OF WOOD: Color, pink to brown, sap-wood lighter; non-porous; rings, sharp and distinct; grain, straight; rays, numerous, obscure; non-resinous.

PHYSICAL QUALITIES: Very light in weight (64th in this list); 23 lbs.

per cu. ft.; sp. gr. 0.3322); weak (64th in this list); brittle (63d in this list; soft (62d in this list); shrinkage 3 per cent.; warps little; extremely durable; easily worked; splits easily; nails well.

COMMON USES: Boats, s.h.i.+ngles, posts, railway ties, cooperage.

REMARKS: Grows chiefly in swamps, often in dense pure forests. Uses determined largely by its durability.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Radial Section, life size.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Cross-section, magnified 37-1/2 diameters.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Tangential Section, life size.]

26

LAWSON CYPRESS. PORT ORFORD CEDAR. OREGON CEDAR. WHITE CEDAR.

_Chamaecyparis lawsoniana_ (A. Murray) Parlatore.

_Chamaecyparis_ means low cypress.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Habitat.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Leaf.]

HABITAT: (See map); best on coast of Oregon.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TREE: Height, 100'-200'; diameter, 4'-8', even 12'; base of trunk abruptly enlarged; bark, very thick, even 10" at base of trunk, inner and outer layers distinct, very deep fissures, rounded ridges; leaves, very small, 1/16" long, four-ranked, overlapped, flat sprays; cones, small, 1/4", globular.

APPEARANCE OF WOOD: Color, pinkish brown, sap-wood hardly distinguishable; non-porous; rings, summer wood thin, not conspicuous; grain, straight, close; rays, numerous, very obscure; non-resinous.

PHYSICAL QUALITIES: Light in weight (46th in this list); 28 lbs. per cu. ft.; sp. gr. 0.4621; strong (25th in this list); elastic (12th in this list); soft (50th in this list); shrinkage 3 or 4 per cent.; warps little; durable; easily worked; splits easily.

COMMON USES: Matches (almost exclusively on the Pacific Coast), interior finish, s.h.i.+p and boat building.

REMARKS: Resin, a powerful diuretic and insecticide.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Radial Section, life size.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Cross-section, magnified 37-1/2 diameters.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Tangential Section, life size.]

27

RED CEDAR.

_Juniperus virginiana_ Linnaeus.

_Juniperus_, the cla.s.sical Latin name; _virginiana_, in honor of the State of Virginia.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Habitat.]

HABITAT: (See map); best in Gulf States in swamps, especially on the west coast of Florida.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Leaf.]

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TREE: Height, 40'-50', even 80'; diameter, 1'-2'; trunk, ridged, sometimes expanded; branches, low; bark, light brown, loose, ragged, separating into long, narrow, persistent, stringy scales; leaves, opposite, of two kinds, awl-shaped, and scale-shaped; fruit, dark blue berry.

APPEARANCE OF WOOD: Color, dull red, sap-wood white; non-porous; rings, easily distinguished; grain, straight; rays, numerous, very obscure; non-resinous.

PHYSICAL QUALITIES: Very light in weight (42d in this list); 30 lbs.

per cu. ft.; sp. gr. 0.4826; medium strong (43d in this list); brittle (61st in this list); medium hard (34th in this list); shrinkage, 3 per cent.; warps little; very durable; easy to work; splits readily, takes nails well.

COMMON USES: Pencils, chests, cigar boxes, pails, interior finish.

REMARKS: Fragrant. Pencils are made almost exclusively of this wood, because it is light, strong, stiff, straight and fine-grained and easily whittled; supply being rapidly depleted.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Radial Section, life size.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Cross-section, magnified 37-1/2 diameters.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Tangential Section, life size.]

28