ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, V. n. 1-3 



from the Rhyndakos, 1 fourth that of the country 

 of the Ainianes, 2 worst is that of Parnassus and that 

 of Euboea, for it is full of knots and rough and 

 quickly rots. As to Arcadian timber the case is 

 doubtful. 



Of knots and f coiling ' in timber. 



The strongest wood is that which is without knots 

 and smooth, and it is also the fairest in appearance. 3 

 Wood becomes knotty when it has been ill nourished 

 and has suffered severely whether from winter or 

 some such cause ; for in general a knotty habit is 

 supposed to indicate lack of nourishment. When 

 however, after being ill nourished, the tree recovers 

 and becomes vigorous, the result is that the knots 

 are absorbed 4 by the growth which now covers them ; 

 for the tree, being now well fed and growing 

 vigorously, recovers, and often the wood is smooth 

 outside, though when split it is seen to have knots. 

 And this is why they examine the core of wood that 

 has been split ; for, if this contains knots, the out- 

 ward 5 parts will also be knotty, and these knots are 

 harder to deal with than the outer ones, and are 

 easily recognised. 



6 ( Coiling ' of the wood is also due to winter or ill 

 nourishment. Wood is said to ( coil ' when there is 

 in it closer twisting 7 than usual, made up of an 

 unusual number of rings : this is not quite like a knot, 

 nor is it like the ordinary curling of the wood, which 

 runs right through it and is uniform. ' Coiling ' is 

 much more troublesome and difficult to deal with than 

 knots ; it seems to correspond to the so-called 



4 Ka-rairiveffBai : ? KaTa\a/j.^dvf<r6ai. cf. below, 3. 



6 i.e. outward in regard to the core. 6 Plin. 16. 198. 



7 jf ffvffTpof-fi conj. Seal.; p fvarpoty-f) U; y fvrpa<f>rj Aid. etc. 



429 



