Theophrastus • Excerpts from "Enquiry into Plants" 



167 



the surface of the stem. Oak-wood if 

 cut in the right season does not rot and 

 is remarkably free of worms, and its 

 texture is hard and close like horn. 



Again, if the trees are cut at the 

 time of coming into leaf, the result 

 is the opposite of that which follows 

 when they are cut after fruiting: for in 

 the former case the trunks dry up and 

 the trees do not sprout into leaf, 

 whereas after the time of fruiting they 

 sprout at the sides. At this season how- 

 ever thev are harder to cut because the 

 wood is tougher. It is also recom- 

 mended to do the cutting when the 

 moon has set, since then the wood is 

 harder and less likely to rot. But, since 

 the times when the fruit ripens are 

 different for different trees, it is clear 

 that the right moment for cutting also 

 differs, being later for those trees which 

 fruit later. Wherefore some try to de- 

 fine the time for the cutting of each 

 tree, for instance for fir and silver fir the 

 time is, they say, when they begin to 

 peel: for beech, lime, maple and zygia 

 in autumn; for oak, when autumn is 

 past. Some however say that the fir 

 is ripe for cutting in spring, when it has 

 on it the thing called 'catkin/ and the 

 pine when its 'cluster' is in bloom. Thus 

 the}- distinguish which trees are ripe for 

 cutting at various times; however it is 

 clear that in all cases the wood is better 

 when the tree is in its prime than when 

 it is quite young or has grown old; the 

 wood of quite young trees being too 

 succulent, and that of old ones too full 

 of mineral matter. 



OF KNOTS AND 'cOILINg' IN TIMBER 



The strongest wood is that which is 

 without knots and smooth, and it is 

 also the fairest in appearance. Wood 

 becomes knotty when it has been ill- 

 nourished and has suffered severely 

 whether from winter or some such 

 cause; for in general a knotty habit is 

 supposed to indicate a lack of nourish- 



ment. When, however, after being ifl- 

 nourished, the tree recovers and be- 

 comes vigorous, the result is that the 

 knots are absorbed by the growth 

 which now covers them; for the tree, 

 being now well fed and growing vigor- 

 ously, recovers, and often the wood is 

 smooth outside though when split it is 

 seen to have knots. And this is whv 

 they examine the core of wood that has 

 been split; for if this contains knots, 

 the outside parts will also be knotty, 

 and these knots are harder to deal 

 with than the outer ones, and are easily 

 recognized. 



'Coiling' of the wood is also due to 

 winter or ill-nourishment. Wood is said 

 to 'coil' when there is in it closer twist- 

 ing than usual, made up of an unusual 

 number of rings: this is not quite like 

 a knot, nor is it like the ordinarv curl- 

 ing of the wood, which runs right 

 through it and is uniform. 'Coiling' is 

 much more troublesome and difficult 

 to deal with than knots; it seems to cor- 

 respond to the so-called 'centres' which 

 occur in marbles. That vigorous growth 

 covers up the knots is plain from sim- 

 ple observation of the fact and also 

 from other similar instances. For often 

 some part of the tree itself is absorbed 

 by the rest of the tree which has grown 

 into it; and again, if one makes a hole 

 in a tree and puts a stone into it or 

 some other such thing, it becomes 

 buried, being completely enveloped by 

 the wood which grows all around it 



OF DIFFERENCES IN THE TEXTURE 

 OF DIFFERENT WOODS 



Corresponding to the individual 

 characters of the several trees we have 

 the following kinds of differences in 

 the wood: it differs in closeness, heavi- 

 ness, hardness or their opposites, and 

 in other similar ways; and these differ- 

 ences are common to cultivated and 

 wild trees. So that we may speak of all 

 trees without distinction. 



