THE NEGLECT OF HOME TIMBER. I07 



Elm also makes most attractive panelling if properly selected 

 and used. It is also admirable in wide plain boards for linings 

 of such rooms as a garden room, estate office or business 

 room. I hear the reader object that it twists. So it does if 

 improperly used and in an unseasoned condition, but if the 

 wood be well seasoned and sympathetically handled the twisting 

 can be got over. 



Ash also makes good panelling, and so do both beech and 

 plane tree, the latter being a most beautiful wood, hardly 

 ever seen inside a house, but used for calendering and other 

 commercial purposes. Veneers, whether those known in the 

 trade as " curls," or those with waved or fiddle back markings, 

 can also be got from this wood (Plate IX. fig. i). 



As king of the hardwoods — for the variety and beauty of 

 its figure, for the multitude of the uses it can be put to, and 

 for the glorious part it has played in "our rough island story" 

 — oak is too well known to require any remark here, except that 

 the Scottish-grown oak is in figure or " chamf," if possible, more 

 interesting than English, owing to the fact that the growth has 

 been slower and the fight with the elements more severe (Fig. 5). 



As a result of the efficient organisation of the foreign trade, 

 and also owing to the apathy of architects and of the public, 

 it is lamentable to think of the enormous percentage of Austrian 

 and other imported oak for panelling, flooring, etc., that was 

 used in this country before the war. For character, for variety 

 of figure, there is no sort of comparison between the two 

 materials. Austrian is tamer, though slightly easier to work, 

 but if the native trade were properly organised and marketed, 

 the price for the home material ought to be slightly lower 

 than the foreign, which would pay for the extra cost of 

 working. 



Scots walnut makes beautiful panelling for a room, but the 

 supply is very limited. This is an example of a hardwood 

 that might be much more grown as a feature in mixed planta- 

 tions, and the timber always commands a high price. A room 

 panelled in home walnut is a joy to live in. 



When we come to furniture, the range of choice is considerable, 

 (i) Oak, from which interesting burr veneers can be got. (2) 

 Walnut. (3) Ash. (4) Elm ; this tree also yields fine burr 

 veneer (Figs. 3 and 4). (5) Birch, which is excellent for bed- 

 room furniture. (6) Maple. 



