EUROPEAN TIMBER 55 



level. It attains a height of 30 or 40 ft., and produces a 

 tough and elastic wood, but can only be got in small sizes. 

 It is much used for crates and walking-sticks. The tree is 

 intimately bound up with Norse folklore. 



Hungarian ash is often richly figured, but varies a good 

 deal in grain, and when used as veneer the glue is apt to 

 discolour it. 



Common Birch (Betida alba], Fig. 12, is a beautiful and 

 rapid growing tree which attains a height of 50 to 60 ft., but 

 only about 1^ ft. in diameter. It is very straight, gets 

 less in size towards the Arctic regions, where it becomes a 

 mere shrub. It is the last tree to disappear as we go 

 northward. The wood is whitish or light brown in colour, 

 firm and tough, easily worked, cannot be considered 

 durable, but is moderately hard and even in grain, rather 

 coarse, but works up to a satiny lustre ; is excellent wood 

 for turners, wheelwrights, and coopers, and is used for 

 suites of bedroom furniture, largely in chair-making, and a 

 good deal is made into charcoal. English-grown wood is 

 often used for handrails, stairheads, etc. ; the twigs are 

 made into besoms, and on account of their fragrant smoke 

 are used for smoking herrings, bacon, etc. The wood is 

 also used for box-making in the tinplate trade, and any 

 shortage made good by English elm. Occasionally used as 

 veneer in cabin fittings, it has a nice effect when stained ; it 

 is also used for chair seats, and in Kussia tea chests for 

 India are made up of two thicknesses glued back to back, 

 with their grain crossways ; and a good deal is used for 

 " venesta " panelling. Birch comes from Sweden, where 

 it is made into furniture, and Prussia to Britain, but the 

 greater quantity is brought from the United States and 

 Canada. The wood is, as a rule, softer and rather darker 

 than beech ; medullary rays are scarcely noticeable. It is 



