Tweets -

Interesting side note from a tree list I'm on.


>From C2ALTS at aol.com Wed Dec 31 15:57:14 1997
Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 18:53:01 EST
From: C2ALTS <C2ALTS at aol.com>
To: TreeTown at Majordomo.Flora.Com
Subject: TT: Re: TreeTown-Digest V97 #110

> Did someone say that the osage orange isn't good for much? It has dense
> wood that appears almost tropical. There is nothing better for making
> tool handles!

Your comment takes me back to my zookeeping days in Topeka Kansas, where I
was in charge of the walk-through tropical exhibit. We used osage orange
in exhibits. It was the only wood that lasted more than a few days on the
macaws' island: their sharp beaks whittled oak as fast as balsa wood.
It's hell on saws though, really gives you an appreciation for the skill
of those Indians with their flint tools!