8o 



NATURE 



[September i6, 1920 



The Timbers of Commerce.* 



A BOOK dealing with timbers in general is 

 very welcome. The text-books in English 

 on this subject give, as a rule, little information 

 on the uses and commercial aspects of the numer- 

 ous species which are imported into this country. 

 There is one exception — Laslett's small book on 

 "Timber and Timber Trees," which is still valu- 



Oak Grove, Kyre Park, Worcestershire. (From " A Manual of the Timbers of the World.") 



able, though in some respects out of date, the 

 last edition having appeared in 1894. Other 

 works, good as regards the microscopical struc- 

 ture of a considerable number of woods, fail to 

 throw much light on their manifold uses and 

 special properties. 



Mr. Howard's work consists mainly of a de- 

 scriptive account of the commercial uses of a 

 great number of timbers, which are listed in 

 alphabetical order, the botanical and vernacular 

 names being indiscriminately used. This arrange- 



> " A Manual of the Timbers of the World, their Characteristics and 

 Uses." By A. L. Howard. Pp. xvi-1-446. (London : Macmillan and Co., 

 Ltd., 1920.) Price 30J. net. 



NO. 2655, VOL. 106] 



ment is open to criticism, as it occasionally 

 mingles together species which have little in 

 common but their trade name, and disjoins others 

 which belong to the same genus — e.g. basswood 

 (p. 23) and lime (p. 122), species of Tilia. Two 

 indexes do away, however, with this difficulty. 

 The title is somewhat misleading, as the timbers 

 enumerated and described are 

 not world-wide, but are prac- 

 ticallv confined to those im- 

 ported into London and Liver- 

 pool. No attention is paid to 

 any others. One fails to find, 

 for example, an account of 

 interesting woods like that of 

 the nettle-tree (Celtis) in 

 France, or of the sandarac 

 wood (Tetraclinis) of Algeria, 

 the latter remarkable for its 

 subterranean burrs, out of 

 which beautiful articles of 

 cabinet-ware have been made 

 from the time of the Caesars 

 to the present day. 



Mr. Howard was, however, 

 wise in limiting his subject to 

 the timbers of which he has 

 first-hand knowledge, and this 

 inspires confidence in the facts 

 that he discloses. With more 

 than forty years of experience 

 in the timber trade he is able 

 to give his own personal 

 opinion upon the merits and 

 characteristics of a great num- 

 ber of species. The book, in 

 short, is excellent on the com- 

 mercial side. .V scientific trea- 

 tise on timbers in general has 

 vet to be written. Such a work 

 would contain a clear account 

 of the structure of the woods 

 concerned, and of their pro- 

 venance, properties, and de- 

 fects, and would point out how 

 and why each species is adap- 

 ted to the special purposes 

 for which it is used. Mr. 

 Howard's book is incomplete 

 in these respects, and is, more- 

 over, devoid of references to the numerous special 

 papers and publications that have appeared on 

 many species. Nevertheless, it is a valuable 

 addition to the library of the merchant, the 

 engineer, the architect, and the student at the 

 present juncture. The British Empire Timber 

 Exhibition, lately held, showed the wealth of 

 timbers possessed by our Dominions, Colonies, 

 and India, many of which are totally ignored by 

 manufacturers and little known in the trade. Mr. 

 Howard's book will awaken interest and dissemi- 

 nate valuable information. 



, " The Timbers of the World " is attractive in 

 appearance, being illustrated by a series of repro- 



