THE TIMBERS OF COMMERCE 



It is sometimes confused with the Common Ash (Fraxinus). 



Authorities. Nordlinger (87), p. 540. Ditto (86), vol. iii. 

 p. 61. Mathieu (69), p. 181. Schwartz (106). p. 485. Wester- 

 meier (129), p. 12. DuMornay (70), p. 68. Hartig (42). Wies- 

 ner (131), L. 12, p. 921. 



Colour. Heart-wood reddish-brown or reddish-white not well 

 denned from the reddish-white or dirty-white sap-wood. 



Anatomical Characters. Transverse section : 



Pores. Need lens, size 5, fine, little variation : eventy 

 scattered. In groups of from 2-5 pores here and there : very 

 numerous, about 450 per sq. mm. : less abundant in the Autumn 

 zone. 



Rays. Need lens, size 5, fine, uniform : equidistant, a pore- 

 width or more apart : slightly curved, not avoiding the pores : 

 rather denser than the ground- tissue : numerous, 10-14 per mm. : 

 very short, rarely continued across many rings : tapering both 

 ends : brown. 



Rings. Very clear : the boundary a line of contrast between 

 the dense autumn and the lax spring wood enhanced by the 

 deeper colour of the former : contour well rounded. 



Soft-tissue in irregular patches and also in radial, i-rowed 

 strings of cells. 



Flecks. Rather numerous in the neighbourhood of the pith : 

 very narrow if in the early Spring wood : often with prominent 

 tails or " false rays." 



Pith. Dark brown : about 2 mm. diameter : quite round : 

 very soft and coarse. 



Radial Section. Pores need lens, fine, colourless, inconspicuous 

 scratches. Rays extremely fine, brown lines. Rings very clear 

 but not prominent lines. Flecks long, narrow lines with tail- 

 like " false rays " proceeding from them outwardly. 



Pith. A bold, very soft, dark brown strip. 



Tangential Section. As the Radial, but the rays are practically 

 imperceptible with the lens, the rings are not so clearly defined 

 and the flakes do not exhibit the " tails." 



Type specimens from commercial sources and from trees known 

 1 before felling. 



No. 91. ENGLISH CHERRY. Primus Cerasus. 



Linn. 

 PLATE XVIII. FIG. 155. 



Natural Order. Rosaceae. 



Alternative Names. Garden Cherry, Sour Cherry in U.S.A. 

 (49). Cerisier a Fruits acides, in France (69). 

 Sources of Supply. Europe generally, North America. 



106 



