Thick heartwood, delicate brown, thin sapwood yellowish white, coarse-grained, annual rings clearly marked. Structural Qualities of Wood. Light, soft, not strong, brittle, checks in drying, very durable in contact with soil. Slightly aromatic. Representative Uses of Wood. Pails, buckets, ox-yokes, fence-posts, and rails. Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot. 31. Modulus of Elasticity. 730,000. Modulus of Rupture. 8500. Remarks. Leaves and shoots mucilaginous. Bark of root rich in highly aromatic essences. Sassafras often forms thickets. [p095] RED MULBERRY, MULBERRY. _Morus rubra Linn._ Nomenclature. (Sudworth.) Red Mulberry, Mulberry (local and common name). Black Mulberry (N. J., Pa., W. Va.). Virginia Mulberry Tree (Tenn.). Murier Sauvage (La.). Locality. Massachusetts to Florida, westward intermittently to Nebraska and Texas. Best in lower Ohio and Mississippi River basins. Features of Tree. Fifty to sixty feet in height, two and one half to three feet in diameter. Sweet edible fruit. Dark brown broken bark, smooth gray branches. Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood. Thick heartwood, light orange yellow, thin sapwood whitish, coarse-grained, compact structure, annual layers clearly marked. Structural Qualities of Wood. Light, soft, not strong, very durable in contact with soil, receives good polish. Representative Uses of Wood. Local ship-building, agricultural implements, fencing, cooperage. Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot. 36. Modulus of Elasticity. 11,700,000. Modulus of Rupture. 11,000. Remarks. An ornamental tree. The leaves of this species are not adapted to silkworm culture. [p096] BUCKEYE. HORSE CHESTNUT. (_Æsculus_.) The buckeye and horse chestnut are species of the same genus. The common horse chestnut (_Æsculus hippocastanum_) was once thought to have been a native of Asia, but it is now quite certain that it originated on the mountains of northern Greece. Trees have been cultivated in Europe for at least three centuries and are now extensively grown over the United States. The name buckeye is generally applied to such species as are natives of North America. [Illustration: Horse Chestnut (_Æsculus hippocastanum_).]