EUROPEAN TIMBER 51 



Britain. The wood is of a yellow or reddish colour, grow- 

 ing darker on exposure ; it is hard, strong, and very 

 durable, and has a pleasant smell ; the resin it contains 

 enables it to resist for a long period the action of water. 

 It is not liable to the attacks of insects, and being of 

 beautiful colour and easy to polish it is much used for 

 finished woodwork. The doors of old St. Peter's at Rome 

 were of cypress, and when taken down to make way for the 

 brass doors of Antonio Philarte were found in perfect 

 condition after a life of at least 600 years. In early times 

 it was much used in conjunction with cedar for ship- 

 building. This timber must not be confounded with the 

 wood now known as cypress in the English market, and 

 which is imported from America. The common cypress, 

 as indeed is the case with all cypress wood, is very light. 

 Weight about 20 Ibs. per cubic foot. 



Laburnum (Laburnum rulgare), a well-known tree which 

 grows in the British Isles, the Continent of Europe, and 

 America, and in favourable situations attains to a height 

 of 40 ft. and a diameter of about 12 inches, though this 

 size is rare ; the wood is a beautiful brownish or sometimes 

 dark green colour, of fine grain, hard and heavy, much 

 valued for cabinet work, turnery, and inlaying and parts 

 of musical instruments ; it is not, however, much used, as 

 it can only be had in small sizes. It is sometimes stained 

 and passed off as ebony. 



Weight 52 to 57 Ibs. per cubic foot. 



Box. The Common Box (Buxus sempervirens) is said to be 

 a native of Surrey, and great quantities originally came 

 from Box Hill in that county. It also grows in Gloucester- 

 shire and Kent, and is found throughout Europe, North 

 America, Asia, and Japan. In Britain the tree seldom 



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