BRITISH-GROW^ TIMBERS 247 



respectively. Timber, reddish white, brittle, 

 though long-grained, light, easily worked, and 

 susceptible of a good polish. I cannot agree wdth 

 those who state that the timber is by no means 

 durable, for my own experiments demonstrate 

 that it is in this respect of considerable value. It 

 is certainly apt to snap short, and is extremely 

 brittle, but for all that it is of good lasting quality, 

 as shown by the following : A trough for washing 

 sheep was formed of this wood, and after being sub- 

 jected to drought and damp alternately for eighteen 

 years, for it was sunk in the soil, the boarding 

 when removed was perfectly sound, though dark 

 in appearance. The tree from which the boards 

 were cut was close upon a hundred years old, 

 having been planted by the great statesman, 

 William Pitt, when he owned the Holwood pro- 

 perty, in Kent. The boards were fully 2 inches 

 thick, and of various widths up to 2 feet, and the 

 trough 12 feet long by 4 feet wide. The position 

 in which the timber was placed was one of the 

 most trying, for, being sunk in the soil, and only 

 filled with water during the sheep-shearing season, 

 the vicissitudes of drought and damp were very 

 considerable, and well fitted to test the quality of 

 wood. The timber lasts well when converted into 

 furniture. In some of the unusually large speci- 

 mens which have been converted at Woburn 

 Abbey, I consider the timber very near to that of 

 the Larch, both in appearance and quality, but 

 it is not so elastic. 



Cryptomeria japonica. — Age, 43 years ; cubic 

 contents, 47 feet ; soil, black, dampish loam, in a 

 low-lying and well-sheltered situation. Timber, 



