The foliage of the elm is concentrated at the top, and the absence of lower branches causes it to be a good tree to plant near houses or along streets. Much of the wood is tough, fibrous, durable, strong, hard, heavy, and, because it is so often cross-grained, difficult to split and work. The large pores of the spring wood arranged in one or several rows mark the annual deposit, while the minute pores of the summer wood arranged in concentric wavy lines are so peculiar as to distinguish this wood from all others. The tall, straight trunks afford pieces of considerable size. Elm piles sustain constant and severe shocks for long intervals. The grain arrangement of elm is often very beautiful, so that it is increasingly used for decoration. It is more commonly employed in the construction of cars, wagons, boats, agricultural implements, machinery, and furniture. [Illustration: ELM (_Ulmus americana_).] The shape of the trees is so marked as to cause them to be easily noted. Fifteen or sixteen species have been recognized. Five are known to exist in the eastern American forests, and all of them furnish good wood of commercial importance. _Ulmus_ was the ancient name of the elm. [p036] FOOTNOTE Geo. B. Emerson's "Trees and Shrubs of Massachusetts." WHITE ELM. _Ulmus americana Linn._ Nomenclature. (Sudworth.) White Elm (local and common name). Water Elm (Miss., Tex., Ark., Mo., Ill., Ia., Mich., Minn., Neb.). Elm (Mass., R. I., Conn., N. J., Pa., N. C., S. C., Ia., Wis.). American Elm (Vt., Mass., R. I., N. Y., Del., Pa., N. C., Miss., Tex., Ill., Ohio, Kans., Neb., Mich., Minn.). Locality. East of Rocky Mountains, Newfoundland to Florida, westward intermittently to Dakota, Nebraska, and Texas. Features of Tree. Ninety to one hundred feet in height, three to seven feet in diameter. Characteristic and beautiful form, smooth buds; leaves, smaller than those of Slippery-elm, are rough only when rubbed one way. Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood. Heartwood light brown, sapwood yellowish white, rather coarse-grained, annual rings clearly marked. Structural Qualities of Wood. Strong, tough, fibrous, difficult to split. Representative Uses of Wood. Flooring, wheel-stock, cooperage, ship-building, flumes, piles. Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot. 34 (U. S. Forestry Division.)[24] 40. Modulus of Elasticity. 1,540,000 (average of 18 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[24] 1,060,000. Modulus of Rupture. 10,300 (average of 18 tests by U. S. Forestry Div.).[24] 12,100. Remarks. The concentration of foliage at top, together with the form of the tree, renders it valuable in landscape work. It does not cause dense shade. Elm and silver-maple trees are among the first to show life in spring. Discarded brownish scales then cover ground in vicinity. [p037] FOOTNOTE [Footnote 24: See page 6.] CORK ELM. _Ulmus racemosa Thomas._ Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)