620 BOXWOOD AND ITS SUBSTITUTES. [Feb. 



upon the sides of mountains. If grown in the jjhiins the growth 

 is usually too quick, and consequently the grain is too coarse, 

 the wood of best texture being of slow growth, and very fine in the 

 grain. 



" It should be cut down in the winter, and, if possible, stored at 

 once in airy wooden sheds well protected from sun and rain, 

 and not to have too much air through the sides of the sheds, 

 more especially for the wood under four inches diameter. 



" The boxwood, also, must not be piled upon the ground, but 

 be well skidded under, so as to be kept quite free from the effects 

 of any damp from the soil. 



" After the trees are cut down, the longer they are exposed the 

 more danger is there afterwards of the wood splitting more than 

 is absolutely necessary during the necessary seasoning before ship- 

 ment to this country. 



" If shipped green, there is great danger of the wood sweating 

 and becoming mildewed during transit, which causes the wood 

 afterwards to dry light and of a defective colour, and in fact render- 

 ing it of little value for commercial purposes. 



" There is no occasion to strip the bark off or to put cow- 

 'dung or anything else upon the ends of the pieces to prevent their 

 ■splitting. 



" Boxwood is the nearest approach to ivory of any wood known, 

 and will therefore probably gradually increase in value, as it, as 

 well as ivory, becomes scarcer. It is now used very considerably 

 in manufacturing concerns, but on account of its gradual advance 

 in price during the past few years cheaper woods are in some 

 instances being substituted. 



" Small wood under four inches is used principally by flax 

 spinners for rollers, and by turners for various purposes, rollers for 

 *vink skates, etc. etc., and if free from splits, is of equal value with 

 ^he larger wood. It is imported here as small as 1^ inches in 

 diameter, but the most useful sizes are from 2^ to 3^ inches, 

 and would therefore, we suppose, be from 15 to 30 or 40 years 

 in growing, whilst larger wood would require 50 years and up- 

 wards at least, perhaps we ought to say 100 years and upwards. 

 It is used principally for shuttles, for weaving silk, linen, and 

 cotton, and also for rule - making and wood engraving. Punch, 

 Illustrated London Neivs, Grcqjhic, and all the first-class pictorial 

 papers, use large quantities of boxwood." 



In 1880, Messrs. Churchill and Sim reported favourably on some 

 consignments of Indian boxwood, concluding with the remark, 

 that if the wood could be regularly placed on the market at a 

 moderate figure, there was no reason why a trade should not be 



