COMMON LOCUST. 207 



From some experiments made at Brest, in 1S23, the weiglit of the locdst wood 

 was found to be one sixth heavier than that of tlie Enghsh oak ; its strength as 

 one thousand four hundred and twenty-seven to eight hundred and twenty : and 

 its elasticity as twenty-one to nine. By experiments made in the yard of the royal 

 naval college, at Woolwich, it appears that the lateral strength of locust timber, in 

 resisting fracture, is greater than that of the British oak, in the proportion of one 

 hundred to seventy-five. From all these experiments, however widely they may 

 differ in their results, we may safely conclude, that sound, well-seasoned locust 

 timber "is heavier, harder, stronger, more rigid, more elastic, and tougher, than 

 that of the best English oak ;" and consequently is more suitable for trenails. 

 Michaux remarks that, "if the trunks of the locust-trees grown in the north of 

 Peimsylvania, exceed fifteen inches in diameter, >vhen they are cut down and 

 split open, they are frequently found to be decayed at the iKKirt ; but that this is 

 not the case with trees that have grown farther south;"' which would tend to 

 show that a poor soil and a cold climate are not sufficient to produce good timber. 

 There are at least three popular varieties of the common locust, distinguishable 

 by the colour of the heart-wood, which may be described as follows: 



1. Red Locust^ with the heart red, and is esteemed as far the most beautiful 

 and durable timber. Posts of this variety, perfectly seasoned before they are set 

 in the ground, are estimated to last forty years, or twice as long as those of the 

 white locust. 



2. Green or Yelloiv Locust. This is the most common variety, being known 

 by its greenish-yellow heart, and is held next best in quality to the red locust. 



3. White Locust, with a white heart, and is considered as the least valuable 

 of them all. 



All of the above-mentioned variations are supposed to be owing entirely to the 

 soil and situations in which they grow, being caused in a similar manner as the 

 various colours of the flowers of the hydrangea, which depend on the nature of 

 the earth in which they are planted, and even on the colour of the water with 

 which they are irrigated. 



In naval architecture, the timber of the locust is much esteemed by American 

 shipwrights, and enters, with the live oak, the white oak, and the red cedar, into 

 the upper and the lower parts of the frames of vessels, though in very small pro- 

 portions. It is considered as durable as the live oak, and the red cedar, with the 

 advantage of being lighter than the former and stronger than the latter. It is 

 used for trenails in the dock-yards of Europe and the United States, in prefer- 

 ence to any other kind of wood ; and instead of decaying, it acquires, in time, 

 an extraordinary degree of hardness. In civil architecture, in this country, it 

 enters but little into the composition of houses, on account of its scarcity, and its 

 value in ship-building, and for posts of rural fences, Itc. When employed in the 

 construction of houses, it is more particularly applied for the support of the sills, 

 which usually consist of more destructible timber, and which, if they were 

 placed immediately on the ground, would sooner decay. From the hardness of 

 the wood whbU seasoned, the firmness of the grain, and its lustre when polished, 

 it has been extensively used in cabinet-making, and has been substituted by 

 turners for the box-wood, in many species of light work, such as small domestic 

 wares, toys, &c. It has also been employed by mill-wrights for cogs, but it is 

 less valuable for this purpose than that of the rock maple. 



The most important use to which the locust is applied in Britain, is that of 

 forming trenails for ship fastenings ; and large quantities arc annually imported 

 into that country from America. As long as we can supply them for the jtrices 

 which they at present bear, it never would repay the grower to cultivate them 

 in England for this special purpose. 



In France, the locust has been extensively cultivated in the Gironde, in copses, 



