TIMBER 5 



botanical names the same ; moreover, trees of the same 

 species may produce a much poorer quality of timber when 

 obtained from different countries or even from different 

 localities in the same country, so that botanical knowledge 

 will not allow us to dispense with other tests. The wood 

 of the northern pine (P. sylvestris) varies considerably in 

 quality if obtained in parts of Norway from that obtained 

 in Sweden or Eussia, and there is even a difference 

 between the pine of South Sweden and that obtained 

 from North Sweden. 



In practical work one has to keep to the vernacular, 

 but that changes not only with countries, but with localities 

 in the same country, and makes the difficulties of dis- 

 tinguishing the different timbers particularly troublesome, 

 especially in places such as India and the East, where there 

 are so many languages and dialects, and the same timber is 

 known by different names in each. In London the Baltic red- 

 wood planking is known as " yellow deal," but the man in the 

 north of England who talks about yellow deal is thought to 

 be referring to Canadian yellow pine, and which in its 

 native district and America generally is called " white pine." 

 Baltic redwood is referred to sometimes as pine, sometimes 

 as fir ; again Oregon pine and Douglas fir, which are the 

 same timber, are much confused, and if the timber man 

 finds that you do not like Oregon he will sometimes offer 

 you Douglas fir, telling you it is a different wood and much 

 superior. This is not done to deceive you, but from a belief 

 that they are different timbers, and of this the author has 

 had experience. The timber merchant has much to answer 

 for in the way of calling, or miscalling, various timbers. A 

 quantity of different woods are known under the common 

 name of " white wood," which comes from America, the 

 Baltic, Galatz and other places, and is often the produce 

 of quite different trees ; sometimes the same timber is 



