Black gum timber

The wood of all the foregoing trees is remarkable for the peculiar arrangement of its fibres; which, instead of running directly through the stem in parallel lines, are curiously twisted and interwoven together. Owing to this circumstance it is extremely difficult to split, and is therefore often used in the manufacture of wooden bowls, trays, etc. That of the Peperidge is also preferred for the same reason, and for its toughness, by the wheelwrights, in the construction of the naves of wheels, and for other similar purposes.