II.  WOODS WITH PORES—­BROADLEAF, OR SO-CALLED “HARDWOODS”

A. Ring-porous.

1.  Woods with a portion of the rays very large and conspicuous.

Oak.  The wood of all of the oaks is heavy, hard, and strong.  They may be
    separated into two groups.  The white oaks and the red or black oaks.

  (a) White oaks.  Pores in early wood plugged with tyloses, collected in
    a few rows.  Fig. 146.  The transition from the large pores to the
    small ones in the late wood is abrupt.  The latter are very small,
    numerous, and appear as irregular grayish bands widening toward the
    outer edge of the annual ring.  Impossible usually to see into the
    small pores with magnifier.

  (b) Red or black oaks.  Pores are usually open though tyloses may
    occur, Fig. 147; the early wood pores are in several rows and the
    transition to the small ones in late wood is gradual.  The latter are
    fewer, larger and more distinct than in white oak and it is
    possible to see into them with a hand lens.

    The wood of the oaks is used for all kinds of furniture, interior
    finish, cooperage, vehicles, cross-ties, posts, fuel, and
    construction timber.

2.  Woods with none of the rays large and conspicuous.

(a) Pores in late wood small and in radial lines, wood parenchyma in inconspicuous tangential lines.

Chestnut.  Pores in early wood in a broad band, oval in shape, mostly
    free from tyloses.  Pores in late wood in flame-like radial white
    patches that are plainly visible without lens.  Color medium brown. 
    Nearly odorless and tasteless.  Chestnut is readily separated from
    oak by its weight and absence of large rays; from black ash by the
    arrangement of the pores in the late wood; from sassafras by the
    arrangement of the pores in the late wood, the less conspicuous
    rays, and the lack of distinct color.

    The wood is used for cross-ties, telegraph and telephone poles,
    posts, furniture, cooperage, and tannin extract.  Durable in contact
    with the ground.

(b) Pores in late wood small, not radially arranged, being distributed singly or in groups.  Wood parenchyma around pores or extending wing-like from pores in late wood, often forming irregular tangential lines.

1.  Ash.  Pores in early wood in a rather broad band (occasionally
    narrow), oval in shape, see Fig. 148, tyloses present.  Color brown
    to white, sometimes with reddish tinge to late wood.  Odorless and
    tasteless.  There are several species of ash that are classed as
    white ash and one that is called black or brown ash.

  (a) White ash.  Wood heavy, hard, strong, mostly light colored except
    in old heartwood, which is reddish.  Pores in late wood, especially
    in the outer part of the annual ring, are joined by lines of wood
    parenchyma.