e-grained, and takes a fine
polish. Not common. Occurs from Pennsylvania to Minnesota.

MULBERRY

=64. Red Mulberry= (_Morus rubra_). A small-sized tree. Wood moderately
heavy, fairly hard and strong, rather tough, of coarse texture, very
durable in contact with the soil. The sapwood whitish, heartwood
yellow to orange brown, shrinks and checks considerably in drying,
works well and stands well. Used in cooperage and locally in
construction, and in the manufacture of farm implements. Common in the
Ohio and Mississippi Valleys, but widely distributed in the eastern
United States.

MYRTLE (See Laurel)

OAK

Wood very variable, usually very heavy and hard, very strong and
tough, porous, and of coarse texture. The sapwood whitish, the
heartwood "oak" to reddish brown. It shrinks and checks badly, giving
trouble in seasoning, but stands well, is durable, and little subject
to the attacks of boring insects. Oak is used for many purposes, and
is the chief wood used for tight cooperage; it is used in
shipbuilding, for heavy construction, in carpentry, in furniture, car
and wagon work, turnery, and even in woodcarving. It is also used in
all kinds of farm implements, mill machinery, for piles and wharves,
railway ties, etc., etc. The oaks are medium- to large-sized trees,
forming the predominant part of a large proportion of our
broad-leaved forests, so that these are generally termed "oak
forests," though they always contain considerable proportion of other
kinds of trees. Three well-marked kinds--white, red, and live oak--are
distinguished and kept separate in the markets. Of the two principal
kinds "white oak" is the stronger, tougher, less porous, and more
durable. "Red oak" is usually of coarser texture, more porous, often
brittle, less durable, and even more troublesome in seasoning than
white oak. In carpentry and furniture work red oak brings the same
price at present as white oak. The red oaks everywhere accompany the
white oaks, and, like the latter, are usually represented by several
species in any given locality. "Live oak," once largely employed in
shipbuilding, possesses all the good qualities, except that of size,
of white oak, even to a greater degree. It is one of the heaviest,
hardest, toughest, and most durable woods of this country. In
structure it resembles the red oak, but is less porous.

=65. White Oak