168 



FORESTRY 



Box and ebony seem to have the 

 closest and heaviest wood; for their 

 wood docs not even float on water. This 

 applies to the box-tree as a whole, and 

 to the core of the ebony, which con- 

 tains the black pigment. The nettle- 

 tree also is very close and heavy, and 

 so is the core of the oak, and to a 

 still greater degree this is true of the 

 core of the laburnum; for this seems to 

 resemble the ebony. 



The wood of the terebinth * is also 

 very black and close-grained; at least 

 in Syria thev say that it is blacker than 

 cbon\', that in fact they use it for mak- 

 ing their dagger handles. 



There is also, they say, another tree 

 which, as well as the black colour, has 

 a sort of reddish variegation, so that it 

 looks like variegated ebony, and of it 

 are made beds and couches and other 

 things of superior quality. This tree is 

 very large and has handsome leaves 

 and is like the pear. 



These trees then, as well as the 

 black colour, have close wood; as also 

 have maple zygia and in general all 

 those that are of compact growth; so 

 also have the olive and the wild-olive, 

 but their wood is brittle. Of wild trees 

 which are used for roof-timbers the 

 wood of the silver fir is the least com- 

 pact and among others that of the el- 

 der, fig, apple and bay. The hardest 

 woods are those of the oak zygia and 

 aria (holm-oak); in fact men wet these 

 to soften them for boring holes. In 

 genera], woods which are of open por- 

 ous texture are soft, and of those of 

 fleshv texture the softest is the lime. 

 The last-named seems also to be the 

 hottest; the proof of which is that it 

 blunts iron tools more than any other, 

 for they lose their edge by reason of its 

 heat. 



Ivy and bay are also hot woods. Tlie 



coldest woods are those which grow in 

 water and are of succulent character. 

 The wood again of willow and vine is 

 tough; wherefore men make their 

 shields of these woods; for they close 

 up again after a blow; but that of the 

 willow is lighter, since it is of less com- 

 pact texture; wherefore thev use this 

 for choice. The wood of the plane is 

 fairly tough, but it is moistcr in char- 

 acter, as also is that of the elm. The 

 wood of the mulberry is at once of 

 close grain and tough. 



The wood of the elm is the least 

 likely to warp; wherefore thev make 

 the 'hinges' of doors out of elm wood; 

 for if these hold, the doors also keep 

 in place. They make the 'hinges' bv 

 putting wood from the root above and 

 wood from the foliage below, thus re- 

 versing the natural position. For, when 

 these are fitted the one into the other 

 each counteracts the other, as they 

 naturally tend in opposite directions: 

 whereas, if the wood were set as it 

 grows, all the parts would give where 

 the strain came. 



Palm-wood is easily worked and soft 

 like cork-oak, but is superior to that 

 wood, as it is tough, while the other is 

 brittle. However the fibres do not run 

 throughout the wood, nor do they run 

 to a good length, nor are they all set 

 symmetrically, but run in every direc- 

 tion. The wood dries while it is being 

 planed and sawn. 



All wood of wild trees is closer, 

 harder, heavier, and in general stronger 

 than that of the cultivated forms, and 

 there is this same difference between 

 the wood of 'male' and 'female' trees, 

 and in general between trees which 

 bear no fruit and those which have 

 fruit, and between those which bear in- 

 ferior fruit and those whose fruit is 

 better. 



* Pistacia terebinthus, a tree yielding turpentine — Ed. 



