ames as bay poplar, swamp poplar, nyssa,
cotton gum, circassian walnut, and hazel pine. Since it has become
evident that the properties of the wood fit it for many uses, the
demand for tupelo has largely increased, and it is now taking rank
with other standard woods under its rightful name. Heretofore the
quality and usefulness of this wood were greatly underestimated, and
the difficulty of handling it was magnified. Poor success in seasoning
and kiln-drying was laid to defects of the wood itself, when, as a
matter of fact, the failures were largely due to the absence of proper
methods in handling. The passing of this prejudice against tupelo is
due to a better understanding of the characteristics and uses of the
wood. Handled in the way in which its particular character demands,
tupelo is a wood of much value.

Uses of Tupelo Gum

Tupelo gum is now used in slack cooperage, principally for heading. It
is used extensively for house flooring and inside finishing, such as
mouldings, door jambs, and casings. A great deal is now shipped to
European countries, where it is highly valued for different classes of
manufacture. Much of the wood is used in the manufacture of boxes,
since it works well upon rotary veneer machines. There is also an
increasing demand for tupelo for laths, wooden pumps, violin and organ
sounding boards, coffins, mantelwork, conduits and novelties. It is
also used in the furniture trade for backing, drawers, and panels.

Range of Tupelo Gum

Tupelo occurs throughout the coastal region of the Atlantic States,
from southern Virginia to northern Florida, through the Gulf States to
the valley of the Nueces River in Texas, through Arkansas and southern
Missouri to western Kentucky and Tennessee, and to the valley of the
lower Wabash River. Tupelo is being extensively milled at present only
in the region adjacent to Mobile Ala., and in southern and central
Louisiana, where it occurs in large merchantable quantities, attaining
its best development in the former locality. The country in this
locality is very swampy (see Fig. 11), and within a radius of one
hundred miles tupelo gum is one of the principal timber trees. It
grows only in the swamps and wetter situations (see Fig. 11), often in
mixture with cypress, and in the rainy season it stands in from two to
twenty feet of water.

=40. Black Gum= (_Nyssa sylvatica_) (Sour Gum). Black gum is not cut