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laying, etc. ; they are held up against the soil or loose or 

 doubtful ground by horizontal lines of trees, poles, planks, 

 deals, or battens, as the case demands. The latter are 

 termed " whalings " (or " wale " as in gunwale of a ship). 



Pollard Oak. Alias "Red" or "Brown Oak." The former 

 from " polled " or maimed oaks deepening in colour by age 

 or incipient decay to brown, red and even partially black ; 

 hence a tree never polled, if it takes on colour, is termed " a 

 pollard." Occasionally protuberances, or " Burrs " (which 

 see), form or swell on or from the stem or near the roots, 

 which, if coloured, yield pollard-oak veneers of value, should 

 the taste or fashion in wood incline that way, as it did in 

 the latter half of the nineteenth century. See " Pollards." 



Pollards. Trees which admit the crowns being cut off, leaving 

 them to send out new branches from the top of the stem, 

 By constant cutting the heads swell and become deformed 

 features known as a '' Todds " or " Old Todds," possibly 

 from "Tod," an obsolete term for "a bush." See "Pol- 

 lard Oak." 



Polled Trees. See " Pollai-ds." 



Pontoon. A flat-bottomed or shallow draught boat whose 

 primary purpose was a temporary bridge, or part of a " pon- 

 toon " bridge, as the Latin name "pens" =a bridge, 

 implies. Originally of wood or plank construction ; of late 

 buoyant cylinders of iron have taken their place in con- 

 structing floating landing-stages, etc., otherwise " pon- 

 toons." 



Poplar (Populus). Introduced into Britain by the Romans, 

 and many species are known here, though only three (the 

 White Poplar or Abele, the Black Poplar and the Lombardy 

 Poplar) are of commercial value. A very soft, light wood, 

 which does not easily splinter or ignite by friction. Used 

 by clogmakers, wheelwrights and hurdlemakers. 



Poppy Heads. -The tops of seat ends in churches, etc. Some of 

 these made in the Middle Ages are extremely ornamental. 



Portable Jib Cranes. Consist of a jib crane mounted on a car- 

 riage and capable of motion along a railway track. These 

 are usually driven by steam power, with engine and boiler 

 mounted on the carriage, which not only propel the crane 

 along the track, but also lift the load. 



Port Orford Cedar (Cupressus lawsoniana). A fine wood exported 

 from the Pacific Coast of America. 



Post. An upright timber in a building. Those used in modern 

 roofs are called king-posts or queen-posts, according to their 



