THE UTILIZATION OF FOREST REFUSE 183 
cause they give a hot, quick fire, which produces a 
thick, brown crust on bread and pastry. 
In the case of willows the pollard system is prac- 
tised. The top is cut back to within a few feet of the 
ground. These twigs are too valuable to burn. They 
are used as twine to tie up grape-vines and fruit 
trees on trellises, and also for baskets, crates, pan- 
niers, ete. 
Often various species of trees are cut close to the 
ground every few years. The coppice shoots from 
the stumps are turned into fagots. It is, however, 
not only for fuel that these fagots are used. They 
have other very important uses. Every engineer 
knows the value of brushwork. When the bundle 
of sticks is bound with one band it is called a bavin; 
when two bands are used it is called a fagot. These 
are called ‘“‘ fascines ” by engineers, and are used in 
building earthworks, filling ditches, protecting river 
banks, and in constructing dams and jetties. The 
force of a wave is dissipated by a facing of brush- 
work. It is broken into hundreds of harmless wave- 
lets. 
There are, no doubt, other uses for brush. The 
time will come when we shall subject it to a process 
of destructive distillation for the wood alcohol, wood 
gas, acetic acid, and a host of other useful chemi- 
cals which it contains. Even the ashes of hardwood 
