Interesting! Because I spent a few years in Missouri (Missourah --
according to those folks back there!) and a fair number of fence lines are
planted with Osage orange or, as they call it -- hedge apple. Seems like
it grows densely enough that once well established it becomes the fence.
It also become their source of fence posts. When I was fencing part of my
property my neighbor came over and augured a hole about 6' deep and cut
down one of my hedge apple trees for the corner post. Easy cutting with
some very straight sections. He put six feet in the ground and had 5 plus
sticking out. Worked like a champ. He said if you want to cut that tree
up, do it soon or forget it. Cut some and left some. Later I found out
why they also called it ironwood!. Lots of the old fence lines used hedge
apple for corner posts and smaller hedge apple limbs as line posts and if I
can believe my neighbor, "They will last longer than you, Son!" I think I
am correct in saying that they are not native to the Midwest but came from
down Texas way or someplace.

So, I guess the parrots could whittle the fresh wood and only 'polish' the
seasoned wood.

Darn, now I have to dig out my books, again.

Thanks for the reminder of those days.

Bob
Federal Way, Wa
Taylorrt at foxinternet.net


----------
> From: Susan L. Collicott <camel at serv.net>
> To: Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Birds and wood...
> Date: Wednesday, December 31, 1997 3:58 PM
>
>
> 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!
>