70 TIMBER 



11 to 12 inches square, but it can still be had up to 50 ft. 

 at a high price. The large quantity of pitch pine of small 

 scantling and with a large proportion of sap now exported 

 shows that the larger trees have been cut or are more 

 difficult to get ; to obtain good pitch pine now requires much 

 more careful selection than formerly, and more allowances 

 must be made, but it can be got in shorter lengths and 

 smaller scantling and in small quantities even up to 50 ft. 

 by 14 inches by 14 inches. 



It has been stated that pitch pine " bled " for turpentine 

 becomes reduced in strength and durability, but the late 

 Professor Johnson, in his "Materials of Construction," 

 says " It is as strong bled as unbled." Some logs are to be 

 found beautifully figured, although much of the figure in 

 pitch pine only goes a short depth into the wood, and these 

 are generally secured for cabinet-makers' work. This 

 timber has not been found satisfactory for constructional 

 work in parts of Cape Colony, as in some situations there 

 it rapidly decays when exposed to alternate damp and heat 

 on river beds and near the sea. Such is not the author's 

 experience with this timber in Great Britain and other 

 places, and he has used thousands of logs, in exposed situa- 

 tions and subjected to variations of temperature, which 

 have been in position for over twenty years and are still quite 

 sound. Pitch pine is now imported to a small extent in 

 planks, but much of it comes as stowage with the log 

 timber and is poor stuff. It is better to have planking cut 

 from the imported log, and for good flooring it should be cut 

 on the " quarter." The timber is used a good deal in the 

 States for paving, and it is at present being tried as block 

 paving for workshops in England, made up of four pieces, 

 2 inches by 3 inches, and 3 inches deep, joined by dowels 

 underneath to form a block about 8 inches by 3 inches. 

 This enables very small pieces of wood to be utilised. 



