USES OF WOOD. 209 



and elasticity, for walking-sticks for that pur- 

 pose the bark is very commonly left on as an 

 ornament for hoops, and for rustic work, garden 

 chairs, tables, &c. 



Hickory wood, though coarse-grained, is very 

 strong, heavy, and durable, and is useful for 

 innumerable purposes for which these timber 

 qualities are essential. It is also elastic, and 

 is employed frequently for the manufacture of 

 carriages. 



Whiteness of colour, hardness of grain, and a 

 high susceptibility of polish are qualities which 

 commend the Holly (Ilex aquifolium) as a most 

 valuable tree, and especially for the production of 

 articles for ornament. It is even said to have 

 been employed at times as a substitute for Box in 

 wood-engraving. Its hardness, too, has suggested 

 the feasibility of employing it as a substitute for 

 ebony and for other woods, dyes of various hues 

 being employed to disguise it. For the making 

 of mathematical instruments, for cabinet-work, 

 and for the purposes of the joiner it is admirably 

 adapted, although, from the fact of its not 

 ordinarily growing to a large size, except in 



p 



