THE MANUFACTURE OF HOME-GROWN TIMBER. 159 
exclusively made into rollers for calico manufacturers, and are 
generally from 18 inches diameter upwards. The pleasant appear- 
ance of the wood, with its clear white colour, makes it peculiarly 
suitable for mangle rollers and other purposes for contact with 
cloth, and the bulk of the ordinary-sized trees of about 12 inches 
are converted into these commodities. With reasonable care and 
management there requires to be not a particle of waste in its 
manufacture. The larger sizes of rollers taken out, leaves the odd 
pieces no less valuable than in the tree—brush backs, ornaments, 
domestic utensils, and numerous small ware being regularly made 
from this wood. The cabinetmaker consumes a considerable 
quantity of medium-sized wood for panels and furnishings of 
furniture, and, being susceptible of a fine polish, it is highly 
esteemed in this department of industry. Shipbuilders make 
extensive use of the sycamore for blockmaking, from 3 inches 
square up to a foot. In manufacturing sycamore, the greatest 
care 1s necessary in the seasoning of it, the wood being specially 
liable to draw damp, which immediately begins to stain and 
deteriorate its value to a serious extent. Exposed to wet, it 
decays and rots ina short time. The tops and branches of the 
sycamore have a greater value than any other wood for turning 
purposes, the smallest size, down to 2 inches, being equally useful 
for bobbins, etc., to the larger waste. As will be seen, there is 
little difficulty in converting this wood, and little or no ingenuity 
required. 
The manufacture of the larch presents very little difficulty, being 
generally straight and regularly grown. The importance of this 
tree in the industrial world goes on increasing every year, and 
notwithstanding the large supplies available in the country, the 
demand keeps more than pace with them. 
The railway requirements form the chief outlet for this wood. 
Sleepers consume immense quantities, the common size of which 
are 9 feet by 10 inches by 5 inches, and 9 feet by 9 inches 
by 44 inches. The sawing of these being conducted on a large 
scale, special appliances are used for the saving of labour, and 
sawmill machinery is specially constructed for this class of 
work. In cutting out these sizes from the full tree, consider- 
able sized slabs are produced, which are converted chiefly into 
pit-sleepers, which run from 6 inches by 4 inches down to 2 
inches by 24 inches. For lining railway waggons larch planks 
are the favourite wood, as no other can compete with it for tough- 
