Il8 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Building Timbers and Architects' Specificatio7is, which is part of 

 HawortKs " Timber ^feasurer." By J. Davies. 234 pp. 

 with Index. London: Alfred Haworth & Co., Ltd., 1910. 



This is a most useful little book and contains, in condensed 

 form, a great amount of valuable information about timbers of 

 special importance to architects and others interested in the 

 building trade. 



The author very wisely refrains from dealing either with the 

 botanical or silvicultural aspect of the subject. He merely gives 

 as much botanical information as will enable the student to 

 identify the species of tree from which the particular timbers 

 described are taken. 



Nine chapters of the book are taken up with descriptive 

 details of the timber which is most largely used at present, and 

 likely to continue to be so, namely Scots pine, variously known 

 as redwood, red deal, or yellow deal. The author points out the 

 absurdity of architects continuing to specify that the pine timber 

 must be of best Memel or Dantzic, or some similar brand, when 

 the supplies from these places have long since been exhausted. 



He does not think there is any likelihood of a timber famine 

 in the near future, but he admits that the forests which formerly 

 turned out the best qualities of red pine have already been 

 exhausted, except in very remote districts in Russia and 

 Scandinavia. He anticipates a steady but not prohibitive 

 increase in the price of this class of timber in the near future. 

 When this increase takes place, he considers it will pay to tap 

 the presently inaccessible sources of supply. 



For the same reasons, we may safely claim that home-grown 

 Scots pine timber will command a better price, if it is steadily 

 turned out in sufficient quantity and of good uniform quality. 

 The author very rightly says that the present outturn of home- 

 grown pine timber is much too small and irregular to be of any 

 use in the building trades, or to have any influence on the 

 timber market. 



In this book the uses and qualities of practically all the 

 timbers used in the building trade, drawn from the chief timber 

 producing countries, are briefly but accurately described. 



The latter part of the book contains Haworth's Tables. These 

 will V)e found very useful by those engaged in the various trades 

 in which timber is used. J. F. A. 



