THE FARMER AT HOMK. 421 



well as of Birmah, chiefly along the banks of the Irawaddy, and of 

 the islands of Ceylon to the Moluccas. The tree grows to an immense 

 size, and is remarkable for its large leaves, which are from twelve to 

 twenty-four inches long, and from eight to sixteen inches broad, and 

 are compared, by Oriental writers, to the ears of the elephant. From 

 extensive experience, teak timber has been found the most valuable 

 timber for shipbuilding, and has been called the oak of the East. The 

 wood is light, brownish colored, easily worked, but at the same time 

 strong and durable. It is soon seasoned, and from containing a resin- 

 ous oil, resists the action of the water, as well as insects of all kinds. 

 Some of the finest ships that float, have been made from it. 



Some interesting details have recently been published concerning 

 the export of teak-timber from Moulmein, in India. Teak is the prin- 

 cipal article of export from that province, both in quantity and value. 

 During the year 1849, upwards of 25,000 tons were shipped to various 

 parts of the world, all properly converted, by hand or machinery, and 

 : ji the rough state estimated at 100,000 pounds. The teak of 

 these provinces and the surrounding foreign states, which finds its way 

 into Moulmein, is of very superior quality, and unequalled, for ship 

 building purposes, by any other wood in the world. The annual sup- 

 ply is more than equal to the demand, in consequence of this port 

 being but little known to the English ship owners and builders. There 

 is almost an unlimited extent of teak forests in the neighboring states, 

 of superior quality and easily worked. 



TEMPERATURE. The presence of the sun is undoubtedly one 

 of the principal sources of heat, as its absence is of cold ; but if those 

 affections of the atmosphere depended solely on these two causes, an 

 equal temperature would, at the same seasons, prevail in all places 

 situated under the same parallels. This, however, is far from being 

 the case ; for the temperature of the eastern coast of America, is far 

 colder than that of the western shores of Europe, in the same lati- 

 tudes ; and the same observation may, with some degree of variation, 

 be extended to the whole of these two continents. It is equally ob- 

 servable, that the tropical heats of Africa are far greater than those 

 of the West India Islands, and some other parts of America, situated in 

 the torrid zone ; and, indeed, an abundance of proofs might be adduced, 

 to show that the temperature of the air, in different countries, depends 

 on a variety of circumstances besides geographical position. 



One great source of heat exists in the earth ; but whether this 

 arises from any central fire, or from elementary heat diffused through 

 the whole mass, is a problem of no easy solution. The warmth which 

 the earth imparts to the atmosphere, tends greatly to moderate the 

 cold ; and it has, by various observations, been found that the same 

 degree of heat exists in all subterraneous situations at the same depth, 

 or at least, that the variations are extremely small. The condensa- 

 tion of vapor also is another cause of heat, of which, it is well known, 



