variety rather than a species. It occupies in part the same range as
serviceberry, but runs much farther north, reaching the valley of
Mackenzie river in latitude 65. It is found in North Carolina and
Alabama, but it is only a shrub in the extreme southern part of its
range. The fruit ripens in early summer and is reddish purple. Trees are
seldom more than thirty feet high and eight inches in diameter. A
variety with large fruit is occasionally planted as an ornamental tree.
Unless the crop of serviceberries is unusually plentiful in a locality,
the most of it is eaten by birds which temporarily abandon nearly all
other sources of food and give their undivided attention to the
perishable harvest which must be garnered in at once or it will be lost.
NARROWLEAF CRAB (_Malus angustifolia_) is one of the wild crabapples of
the United States. They are of the genus _Malus_ and the thousands of
varieties of cultivated apples are derived from them, or from other
species found in the old world which are very similar. They belong to
the rose family. The narrowleaf crab is found from Pennsylvania to
Florida and westward to Tennessee and Louisiana. It thrives best in open
spaces in the forest and is often found in glades and along the banks of
streams in the North, while in the South it occurs in depressions in the
pine barrens. The flowers are much like those of apple, very fragrant,
and in color are white, pink, or rose. When in full bloom, the tree is a
beautiful object, and its odor is carried long distances. The fruit is
an apple in all respects except size and taste. It is somewhat
flattened, and is an inch or less across. It is fragrant when fully
ripe, and many a person has been led by appearances to taste, only to
meet disappointment. The flesh is hard and sour, and unfit for food in
its natural state, but by cooking and artificial sweetening, it is made
into preserves. The tree reaches a height of twenty or thirty feet and a
diameter of eight or ten inches. It is smaller than the sweet crab. The
wood is hard, heavy, light brown, tinged with red, with thick yellow
sapwood. It is not put to many uses, but is occasionally made into small
handles, and levers. It has been much used as stock on which to graft
apples. Farmers who wanted orchards formerly dug up small crabapples in
the surrounding woods and fields, planted them in an orchard, and when
securely rooted, the apples of desired kinds were grafted on. If
successful, the apple finally replaced the crab by spreading its own
bark and wood over the entire trunk, until no part of the original stock
remained visible. The sweet crab was also employed as a stock on which
to graft apples.
SWEET CRAB (_Malus coronaria_) is the wild crab of the northeastern
states, although it intrudes on the region to the southwest to a limited
extent. It finds use in ornamental planting in the region of best
growth. It is known as American crab, sweet scented crab, crab apple,
wild crab, crab, American crab apple, and fragrant crab. Its range
extends from the shores of Lake Erie in Canada, south through New York
and Pennsylvania, along the Alleghany mountains to Alabama; west to
Minnesota, eastern Nebraska, Kansas, Louisiana, and eastern Texas. It
needs moist soil for good growth and the best types are found in the
lower Ohio basin. In height this tree rarely exceeds thirty feet and it
is bushy, having short rigid limbs. The leaves are rounded and sharply
toothed, the blossoms generally white and very fragrant; the fruit
small, dry, yellow, tinged with red. The wood is heavy, not strong,
heart light red, sapwood yellow. It is used for tool handles, small
turned articles, and for carving and engraving.
OREGON CRABAPPLE (_Malus rivularis_) grows wild from the Aleutian
Islands, Alaska, southward to central California, and is of largest size
in Washington and Oregon where trees are occasionally forty feet high
and eighteen inches in diameter, but they are generally about ten feet
high and form dense thickets. The fruit is oblong, ripens late in
autumn, is greenish, or reddish, or clear lemon yellow in color, and
rather pleasant to the taste. The tree grows slowly, the wood is hard,
and light reddish-brown in color, and is suitable for tool handles.
IOWA CRAB (_Malus ioensis_) grows from Minnesota to Texas and is the
common crabapple of the Mississippi basin. Large trees are twenty-five
feet high and a foot in diameter. It is believed that this tree crosses
with the common apple, and produces a variety known as the soulard apple
(_Malus soulardi_). Wild apple (_Malus malus_) is a European species
introduced into this country and now running wild.
MOUNTAIN ASH (_Pyrus americana_) is closely related to the crabs. It
occurs from Newfoundland to Manitoba, and southward along the
mountains to North Carolina. Trees have compound leaves, red berries
the size of small cherries, and reach a height of thirty feet and a
diameter of a foot or more. There are several forms or varieties,
among them the small fruit mountain ash (_Pyrus americana
microcarpa_) of the Alleghany mountains.
[Illustration]
RED HAW
[Illustration: RED HAW]
RED HAW
(_Cratægus Coccinea_)
This tree belongs to the rose family, and the genus _Cratægus_ consists
of a large group of small, thorny trees, scattered through many parts of
the world. They are known by their thorns, but comparatively few of them
are known by name to the ordinary observer, and they afford a perpetual
source of study, victory, and bewilderment to the trained botanist. “No
other group of American trees,” says Sudworth, “presents such almost
insurmountable difficulties in point of distinctive characters. It is
impossible, and fortunately unnecessary, for the practical forester to
know them all, and exceedingly difficult even for the specialist.” More
than one hundred species of these thorn trees occur in the United
States, exclusive of shrubs. Their bloom resembles that of apple and
pear trees. Bees and insects swarm round the flowering trees, assisting
in cross fertilization. The various species are aggressive. They force
their way into vacant spaces, and their thorns protect them against
browsing animals. The wood is sappy and heavy, and for most of the
species it is valueless. The growing brambles, however, perform an
important service in forest economy. Seeds of various valuable trees are
blown by wind or carried by birds and mammals into the thickets where
they germinate and get a start under the protecting shelter of the
thorns. Finally the seedlings overtop the brambles, gain the mastery,
shade the thorns to death, and develop valuable forests. The thorn trees
shed their leaves annually. Their seeds are slow to germinate, some not
sprouting until the second year. The fruit is worthless for human
consumption, but some of it has a tart and not unpleasant taste. It is
of many colors and sizes, depending on species.
No attempt is here made to name or to list the species. Such a list
would, for most people, be a dull catalogue of names, and many of them
in Latin because there are no English equivalents. A few representative
species are given. The red haw, though not the most abundant, is widely
distributed, and is probably as well known as any. Its range extends
from Newfoundland westward through southern Canada to the eastern base
of the Rocky Mountains, thence south to Texas and Florida. It covers
one-half of the United States. In the northern part of its range the red
haw is confined to the slopes of low hills and along water courses, but
south in the Appalachian mountains it grows at an elevation of several
thousand feet.
It has various names in different regions. It is called scarlet haw,
red haw, white thorn, scarlet thorn, scarlet-fruited thorn, red thorn,
thorn, thorn bush, thorn apple, and hedge thorn. The fact is worthy of
note that it is well known and is clearly recognized in every region
where it grows, though various names are given it.
The red haw never reaches large size. In rare cases it may attain a
height of thirty feet and a diameter of ten inches, but it is usually
less than half that size. Where it grows in the open it develops a round
crown. The branches are armed with chestnut-brown thorns from an inch to
an inch and a half in length. The bright scarlet color of the fruit
gives name to the tree. It ripens late in September or in October, and
at that time the tree presents a beautiful appearance. The branches
frequently remain laden with fruit after the leaves have fallen.
The wood of red haw is of a high character and but for its scarcity
would have wide commercial use. It is among the heavy woods of this
country. A cubic foot of it, thoroughly seasoned, weighs 53.71 pounds.
The tree is of slow growth and therefore the annual rings are narrow,
and the wood is dense. The evenness and uniformity of the rings of
yearly growth make the wood susceptible of a high polish. The medullary
rays are very obscure in red haw, and for that reason the appearance of
the wood is much the same, irrespective of the direction in which it is
cut. In that respect it is similar to the wood of most members of the
thorn family--usually being too small to be quarter-sawed. However, even
if the trees were large enough, quarter-sawing would bring out little
figure.
Red haw is a lathe wood. It is well suited to some other purposes, and
has been used for engraving blocks, small wedges, and rulers, but the
best results come from the lathe. If it is thoroughly seasoned it is not
liable to crack or check, though cut thin in such articles as goblets
and napkin rings. The turner sometimes objects to the wood because of
its hardness and the rapidity with which it dulls tools. This drawback,
however, is compensated for by the smoothness and fine polish which may
be given to the finished article. Red haw checker pieces have been
compared with ebony for wearing quality. In color the ebony is more
handsome, and on that account is generally preferred.
Perhaps the most extensive use of red haw is in the manufacture of
canes. Most of the species of thorn are suitable for that purpose on
account of their weight, strength, and hardness. Red haw is not
specially preferred, but is used with others. As a source of wood
supply, the tree will never be important, but as an adornment to the
landscape it will always be valuable, and at the same time will fill a
minor place in the country’s list of commercial woods.
SUMMER HAW (_Cratægus æstivalis_) is a southern species which
contributes more or less to the food supply of the people within its
range. It is known also as May haw and apple haw. The flowers appear in
February and March, are about one inch in diameter, and flushed with red
toward the apex. The fruit ripens in May, is bright red, very fragrant,
and is from half to three-fourths of an inch in diameter. The flesh is
of a pleasant taste, and is gathered in large quantities by country
people for making preserves and jelly. It is sold in town and city
markets, particularly in New Orleans. The range of this thorn tree is
from South Carolina and Florida, to Texas. It attains a height of twenty
or thirty feet, and a diameter sometimes as great as eighteen inches. It
reaches its largest size in Louisiana and Texas. It grows well on land
which may be submerged several weeks in winter. The wood has not been
reported for any use.
COCKSPUR (_Cratægus crus-galli_) may be taken as the type of more than
twenty species of cockspur thorns growing in this country. Its other
names are red haw, Newcastle thorn, thorn apple, thorn bush, pin thorn,
haw, and hawthorn. It grows southwestward from Canada to Texas, and
extends into Florida. The largest trees are twenty-five feet high and a
foot in diameter. The fruit is dull red, half inch in diameter, ripens
in September and October, and hangs on the branches until late winter.
Hogs eat the fruit when they can get it, and boys utilize the small
apples as bullets for elder pop guns. The thorns are formidable slender
spines from three to eight inches long, strong, and extremely sharp.
They were formerly used as pins to close wool sacks in rural carding
mills. The many species of cockspur thorns are multiplied by numerous
varieties. Fence posts and fuel are cut from the best trunks.
PEAR HAW (_Cratægus tomentosa_) is a representative of at least ten
species. It is called pear haw without any very satisfactory reason,
since the fruit bears little resemblance to pears. It is half an inch in
diameter, dull orange red in color, and sweet to the taste, but it is of
little value as food. The tree has been occasionally planted for
ornament, but never for fruit. The flowers are showy. Trees at their
best are fifteen or twenty feet high and five or six inches in diameter.
They have few thorns and such as they have are small. The tree’s range
extends from New York to Missouri, and along the Appalachian mountains
to northern Georgia, and west to Texas and Arkansas. It is known in
different parts of its range as black thorn, red haw, pear thorn, white
thorn, common thorn, hawthorn, thorn apple, and thorn plum.
HOG HAW (_Cratægus brachyacantha_) is distinguished by its blue fruit.
The name indicates that the fruit is unfit for human food but is eaten
by swine. In some parts of Louisiana the dense thickets produce
considerable quantities of forage for hogs. The range is not extensive,
being confined to Louisiana and eastern Texas where the tree occurs in
low, wet prairies. The largest specimens are forty or fifty feet high
and eighteen inches in diameter. It is one of the largest of the thorns,
and the best trunks are of size to make small, very short sawlogs, but
it does not appear that the wood has ever been manufactured into
commodities of any kind. The tree is occasionally planted for ornament.
BLACK HAW (_Cratægus douglasii_) reaches its best development on the
Pacific coast where trees occur thirty or more feet in height and a foot
and a half in diameter. The principal range is west of the Rocky
Mountains, from British Columbia to northern California, but it extends
eastward to Wyoming, and the tree is found also in northern Michigan.
The fruit is black or very dark purple, is edible, and matures in early
autumn, falling soon after. The heartwood is brownish-red. No use for
the wood has been found on the Pacific coast.
WASHINGTON HAW (_Cratægus cordata_), also known as Washington thorn,
Virginia thorn, heart-leaved thorn, and red haw, grows on banks of
streams from the valley of the upper Potomac river southward through the
Appalachian ranges to northern Georgia, and westward to Missouri and
Arkansas. Flowers are rose-colored, the fruit ripens in the fall and
hangs till late winter. Trees are twenty or thirty feet high, and a foot
or less in diameter. Washington haw is frequently planted in this
country and in Europe.
ENGLISH HAWTHORN (_Cratægus oxyacantha_) was introduced into this
country from Europe and has become naturalized in some of the eastern
states. Thirty or more varieties are distinguished in cultivation. It is
worthy of note that, although the United States has more than 130
species of thorn trees of its own, with varieties so numerous that no
one has yet named or counted all of them, a foreign thorn has been
introduced and added to the number.
[Illustration]
MAHOGANY
[Illustration: MAHOGANY]
MAHOGANY
(_Swietenia Mahagoni_)
This tree belongs to the family _Meliaceæ_ which has about forty genera,
all of which are confined to the tropic except _Swietenia_ to which
mahogany belongs. This tree has made its way up from southern latitudes
and has secured a foothold in Florida where it is confined to the
islands and the most southern part of the mainland.
No attempt is here made to settle or even to take part in the disputes
among dendrologists as to what mahogany is. There are said to be more
than forty different trees which pass as mahogany in lumber markets.
Various descriptions and keys have been published for the purpose of
separating and identifying different woods which are bought and sold as
mahogany. These woods grow on every continent except Europe; but those
which pass as mahogany nearly all come from Africa or America. Some are
well known, both as to origin and botany, while others are doubtful.
Logs sometimes appear in markets and no one knows where they come from,
or the species which produce them. It has been maintained that annual
rings will separate true mahogany from the false--that the true has no
annual rings. At the best, this evidence is only negative and is worth
little, since many tropical trees show no annual rings, and yet are no
kin to mahogany. Neither is it certain that true mahogany shows no
yearly rings. Some trees do not, but others may. The ring, as is well
known, is produced because the tree grows part of the year and rests
part. In the tropics where growth is continuous, the ring may not exist,
but it sometimes does exist, and thus upsets the theory. Besides, it
proves little in the case of mahogany which has a range extending from
south of the equator northward into the temperate zone, where there are
seasonal changes. It also grows near sea level and at considerable
altitudes, and elevation alone might make considerable variation in the
character of the wood.
The two most important mahoganies of commerce--leaving botany out of the
question--grow in Africa and in America. The most important of the
African mahoganies is _Khaya senegalensis_, and of the American is
_Swietenia mahagoni_. It is the latter which extends its range into the
United States, and it alone will be considered in these pages as true
mahogany; the status of foreign woods which pass as mahogany will not be
discussed.
Leaves of the mahogany tree are three or four inches long, and an inch
or more wide. They are compound, with from three to five pairs of
leaflets. The tree is an evergreen and presents a fine appearance. The
flowers appear in July and August, are small and cup-shaped. Fruit is
four or five inches long and two or more wide. It ripens in late fall or
early winter. The nearly square seeds are three-fourths of an inch long.
In Florida the tree rarely exceeds fifty feet in height and two in
diameter; but in tropical countries it may exceed a height of 100 and a
diameter of eight or ten. The bark is thin.
The wood is practically of the same weight as white oak, but is stronger
and more elastic. It is exceedingly hard, very durable, and is
susceptible of high polish. Medullary rays are numerous but small and
obscure. The color is rich reddish-brown, turning darker with age, but
the thin sapwood is yellow. It is known in Florida as mahogany, madeira,
and redwood.
The uses of mahogany are so many and so well-known that it is
unnecessary to speak of them in detail. There were importations into the
United States nearly three hundred years ago, and it has been coming
ever since. One thing about this wood deserves mention: the price has
not varied much in three hundred years. Different prices have prevailed,
owing to distance from supply and differences in grade and quality; and
that holds true today; but for similar grades, the prices have been
remarkable for their evenness.
Florida never figured largely in the world’s supply of mahogany. At
their best, the trees were neither large nor numerous, but their quality
was good. Cutting of this timber ceased in Florida about three-quarters
of a century ago. The islands and the small area of the mainland where
the timber grew, were stripped. The logs were shipped to the Bahama
islands and it is said they found their ultimate market in England. A
few trees were overlooked here and there, and some that were small
seventy-five years ago, have grown to merchantable size since. These
have been cut, a few at a time, and the cutting is still going on. The
total is now only a few thousand feet a year, and one of the markets for
the logs, probably the chief market, is Miami, Florida. The logs are
small, and are generally cut and brought in by negroes who find a tree
now and then, cut the logs, and float them as near to market as
possible, and haul them the rest of the way. The scarcity of the trees
may be inferred from the fact that the average resident of south
Florida, where the range of the mahogany lies, never saw one. In
appearance the tree when seen at a little distance, resembles a young,
vigorous black walnut tree.
CHINA TREE (_Melia azedarach_) belongs to the same family as mahogany
but is of a different genus. It is not native in the United States, but
has been extensively planted and is running wild. It is a forest tree in
some parts of Louisiana, but is found under pure forest conditions only
here and there. As such, the trunk and thin crown look like a forest
grown butternut tree in Wisconsin. It is abundant in yards and along
streets, where it is often called Chinaball tree. A little of the wood
is used. The color resembles mahogany, but the texture is much coarser.
Annual rings are clearly marked by rows of large pores, and the wood
does not polish well. It is sometimes known as pride of India, which
country is its native home, or it was carried there from Persia at an
early date. A variety, commonly known as the Texas Umbrella tree (_Melia
azedarach umbraculifera_), has been widely planted, and is known by its
short trunk and dense, round crown.
SOAPBERRY (_Sapindus saponaria_), known also as false dogwood, is a
species of south Florida, and is one of three soap trees in this
country. It has no family kinship with mahogany, but the appearance of
the trees leads some persons to conclude that they are related to the
China tree. In fact, one of the species is locally known as wild China
and Chinaberry. They are called soap trees because their fruit has a
property which causes water to foam, and the natives of the West Indies
once used it for soap. The botanical name _Sapindus_ means “Indian
soap.” The tree is twenty-five or thirty feet high, and ten or twelve
inches in diameter. The bloom appears in November in Florida, and the
fruit ripens the following spring. The wood is heavy, rather hard, and
is light brown, tinged with yellow. It reaches largest size on the
Thousand Islands, Florida. Another species is _Sapindus marginatus_
which attains size similar to that of the first. It is found in southern
Florida, but is not abundant. It grows as far north as the mouth of the
St. John river. A third species is _Sapindus drummondi_ which has its
range from western Louisiana, Arkansas, and southern Kansas, through
Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, to Mexico. The flowers appear in May and
June, and the fruit ripens in September and October, but it hangs on the
trees until the following spring. When first ripe, it is half an inch in
diameter, and yellow, but when it dries it turns black. Trees attain
diameters up to two feet, and heights of forty or fifty. It is commonly
supposed to be the Chinaberry, by persons who judge by general
appearances, but the two are not related. The wood’s appearance suggests
the heartwood of ash. It probably reaches its best development in Texas
where it is manufactured into boxes, crates, and even furniture, but not
in large amounts. It is reputed to be a rapid grower, and it may be
under the most favorable circumstances, but it is usually of rather slow
growth. The wood splits readily into thin strips which are employed in
making baskets for harvesting cotton. In western Texas it is made into
pack saddle frames.