COMMON LOCUST. 207 
Fvom some experiments made at Brest, in 1823, the weight of the locast wood 
was found to be one sixth heavier than that of the English oak ; its strength as 
one thousand four hundred and twenty-seven to eight hundred and twenty ; and 
its elasticity as twenty-one to nine. By experiments made in the yard of the royal 
naval college, at Woolwich, it appears that the lateral strength of locust timber, in 
resisting fracture, is greater than that of the British oak, in the proportion of one 
hundred to seventy-five. From all these experiments, however widely they may 
differ in their results, we may safely conclude, that sound, well-seasoned locust 
timber " is heavier, harder, stronger, more rigid, more elastic, and tougher, than 
that of the best English oak;" and consequently is more suitable for trenails. 
Michaux remarks that, " if the trunks of the locust-trees grown in the north of 
Pennsylvania, exceed fifteen inches in diameter, when they are cut down and 
split open, they are frequently found to be decayed at the heart ; but that this is 
not the case with trees that have grown farther south;" which would tend to 
show that a poor soil and a cold climate are not sufficient to produce good timber. 
There are at least three popular varieties of the common locust, distinguishable 
by the colour of the heart-wood, which may be described as follows : 
1. Red Locust, with the heart red, and is esteemed as far the most beautiful 
and durable timber. Posts of this variety, perfectly seasoned before they are set 
in the ground, are estimated to last forty years, or twice as long as those of the 
white locust. 
2. Green or Yellow Locust. This is the most common variety, being known 
by its greenish-yellow heart, and is held next best in quality to the red locust. 
3. White Locust, with a white heart, and is considered as the least valuable 
of them all. 
All of the above-mentioned variations are supposed to be owing entirely to the 
soil and situations in which they grow, being caused in a similar manner as the 
various colours of the flowers of the hydrangea, which depend on the nature of 
the earth in which they are planted, and even on the colour of the water with 
which they are irrigated. 
In naval architecture, the timber of the locust is much esteemed by American 
shipwrights, and enters, with the live oak, the white oak, and the red cedar, into 
the upper and the lower parts of the frames of vessels, though in very small pro- 
portions. It is considered as durable as the live oak, and the red cedar, with the 
advantage of being lighter than the former and stronger than the latter. It is 
used for trenails in the dock-yards of Europe and the United States, in prefer- 
ence to any other kind of wood ; and instead of decaying, it acquires, in time, 
an extraordinary degree of hardness. In civil architecture, in this country, it 
enters but little into the composition of houses, on account of its scarcity, and its 
value in ship-building, and for posts of rural fences, &c. When employed in the 
construction of houses, it is more particularly applied for the support of the sills, 
which usually consist of more destructible timber, and which, if they were 
placed immediately on the ground, would sooner decay. From the hardness of 
the wood whtii seasoned, the firmness of the grain, and its lustre when polished, 
it has been extensively used in cabinet-making, and has been substituted by 
turners for the box-wood, in many species of light work, such as small domestic 
wares, toys, &c. It has also been employed by mill-wrights for cogs, but it is 
less valuable for this purpose than that of the rock maple. 
The most important use to which the locust is applied in Britain, is that of 
forming trenails for ship fastenings : and large quantities are annually imported 
into that country from America. As long as we can supply them for the prices 
which they at present bear, it never would repay the grower to cultivate them 
in England for this special purpose. 
In France, the locust has been extensively cultivated in the Gironde, in copses, 
