THE SEASON WHY. 301 



" I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will 



cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof." 



ii. KINGS xxin. 



Respecting the other woods used in the manufacture of furniture, we havo 

 nothing special to say, except of the oak the emblem of our native land. This 

 tree yields a most useful and durable wood, and as it not only defends our 

 country by supplying our "wooden walls," but gives to/us the floors of our 

 houses, furnishes our good substantial tables, and comfortable arui-trhairs.it 

 will be well for us to know a few facts about this celebrated tree. It is sai<l 

 that there are no less than one hundred and fifty species of the oak. The 

 importance of the growth of oaks may be gathered from the fact, that tho 

 building of a 70-guu ship would take forty acres of timber. The building of a 

 70-gun ship is estimated to cost about 70,000. Oak trees attain to the age of 

 1,000 years. The oak enlarges its circumference from 10$ inches to 12 inches in 

 a year. The interior of a great oak at Allonville, in Normandy, h^j been 

 converted into a place of worship. An oak at Kiddington, served as a village 

 prison. A large oak at Sa,lcey, was used as a cattle fold ; and others have served 

 as tanks, tombs, prisons, and dwelling-houses. 



The Mammoth tree, which is exhibiting at the Crystal Palace, is one of the 

 great wonders of the vegetable creation. It is the grand monarch of the 

 Californian forest, inhabiting a solitary district on the elevated slopes of th.i 

 Sierra Nevada, at 5,000 feet above the sea-level. From 80 to 90 trees exist, all 

 within the circuit of a mile, and these varying from 250 to 321) feet in height, 

 and from 10 to 20 feet iu diameter. The bark is from 12 to 15 inches in 

 thickness; the branchlets are somewhat pendent, and resemble those of 

 cypress or juniper, and it has the cones of a pine. Of a tree felled in 1853, 

 21 feet of the bark from the lower part of the trunk were put in the natural form 

 as a room, which would contain a piano, with seats for forty persons ; and on one 

 occasion 150 children were admitted. The tree is reputed to have been above 

 3,000 years old ; that is to say, it must have been a little plant when Samson 

 was slaying the Philistines. The portion of the tree exhibiting at the palace is 

 1 03 feet in height, and 32 feet in diameter at the base. 



1192. What is tea ? 



Tea is the leaf of a shrub (Thea CJiinensis}. The plant usually 

 grows to the height of from three to six feet, and resembles in 

 appearance the well-known myrtle. It bears a blossom not unlike 

 that of the common dog-rose. The climate most congenial to it is 

 that between the 25th and 33rd degrees of latitude. The growth of 

 good tea prevails chiefly in China, and is confined to a few provinces. 

 The green and black teas are mere varieties, depending upon the 

 culture, time of gathering, mode of drying, &c. Coffee was used 

 in this country before tea. In 1664, it is recorded, the East India 

 Company bought 21b. 2oz. of coffee as a present for the king. In 

 the year 1832, there were 101,687 licensed tea dealers in the 

 United Kingdom. Green tea was first used in 1715. A dispute 

 with America about the duty upon tea led to the American war, out 

 of which arose American independence. The consumption of tea 



