20 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



demands which have been made upon our own home-grown supphes of 

 ash in only the three years of 1916, 1917, and 1918, and, limited to the 

 knowledge we now possess, it should be considered almost criminal to use 

 any of our own home-grown supplies of ash for any kind of purpose for 

 which such a timber as the Japanese variety could be substituted. The 

 trees are the product of a perfectly natural virgin growth, under the best 

 conditions, and 5deld clean, straight boles of considerable length and 

 diameter, from which a large amount of sound straight-grained boards and 

 planks clear from knots can be obtained. This quaHty makes Japanese 

 ash most useful for a great variety of purposes. It has been utiUsed for 

 cabinet and pianoforte work, both solid and as a groundwork for veneer. 

 The wood takes the glue admirably, and the veneers laid retain a hard, 

 flat surface. For constructional work, excepting where considerable 

 strength is needed, it can be used advantageously, and its comparative 

 lightness of weight increases its value. This same quality, added to the 

 fact that it possesses the requisite strength, makes it an ideal timber for 

 automobile construction, both for carriage body work and for delivery 

 vans and lorries. In many places in Scotland and elsewhere, it has been 

 used for house and club decorative joinery, and furniture. \\Tien finished 

 in its own natural Hght colour, or stained Uke dark oak, it has produced 

 some very artistic and decorative results. For ships' fittings, cabins, etc., 

 and furniture, it is especially suitable. Without a very rigid selection, 

 reliable stretcher-poles have been provided. A small quantity has been 

 found strong enough for aeroplane construction, and if more care is taken 

 a considerable suppl}' could undoubtedly be found suitable for this Vv'ork. 

 At least one aeronautical pilot has selected the wood for use. In Japan it 

 has been largely used for house-building, sleepers, oars (both for the navy 

 and for ordinary use), clogs, and all kinds of wooden ware. It is beyond 

 question that the demand for ply-wood in the future will be almost un- 

 hmited, and as Japanese ash is very suitable for veneers, probably the 

 whole available supply from Japan could be used for this purpose alone. 

 The disadvantages of the wood consist in its colour (though that is 

 chiefly because of the rather prejudiced preference for ash which is 

 white in appearance), its liability to brown streaks, which follow the lines 

 of the concentric layers, and its somewhat porous nature. 



A considerable quantity of hewn pieces and roots containing twisted, 

 curly, and fiddled mottle grain were imported into France, Germany, 

 Belgium, and the United Kingdom for veneers before the war, and these 

 were well received. This popularity will probably revive in the future ex- 

 pansion of trade. A considerable number of sleepers have been imported, 

 which, although they are accepted and used largely in Japan, have not 

 found favour in this country. According to Baterden, such use has been 

 made of the wood on the Chinese and Manchurian railways. 



