( 159 ) [WIL 



White Mahogany. See " Prima Vera." 



White Oak, West India. A description of hogshead staves, ex- 

 pressed as " W. O.W.I." 



White Pine. The American name for the Pinus strobus, known in 

 Great Britain as yellow pine. 



White Willow (Salix alba). -See " Willow." 



Whitebeam (Pyrus aria}. A very slow-growing tree, and is (with 

 the hawthorn) the toughest and hardest of native woods, and 

 has extreme closeness of grain. Used by musical instrument 

 makers, millwrights and engineers. Known also as " White- 

 leaf Tree." 



Whitewood. A soft, durable, very fine-grained wood used in 

 England for joinery work. This term is very loosely used 

 with regard to various kinds of coniferoxis woods. It is 

 applied to Baltic whitewood (Picea excelsa) or white deal, and 

 to Canadian white spruce (Picea alba). A whitewood is also 

 imported from New Zealand, and is known as New Zealand 

 whitewood (P. dacrydioides) or white pine. Mexican white- 

 wood has been imported. American yellow poplar or 

 Canary wood (Liriodendron tulipi/era) is known as Canary 

 whitewood. 



Whittle. Now understood to mean a small pocket-knife, but 

 formerly as a " sheath-knife," worn by the common people 

 who were not entitled to wear swords. Chaucer alludes to 

 such knives being worn in the time of Edward III : 

 "A Shefeld thwytel bore he in his hose." 



" Whittle " is a common term for aimlessly cutting wood. 

 The Americans " whittled down the forest trees." 



Wicken Tree.- The Sorbus aucuparia of the arboriculturist ; a 

 well-know T n tree when bearing its load of red fruit or berries. 

 It is otherwise known as the " Roan " or " Rowan tree " and 

 the "Mountain Ash." 



Wicket. (1) A small door formed in a larger one to admit of 

 ingress and egress without opening the whole. (2) A hole in 

 a door through which to co;nmunicate without opening the 

 door. (3) A sluice-gate in a canal, etc., lock. 



Willow (Salix). A very rapidly growing tree, many varieties of 

 which grow in England. A very durable (unless exposed to 

 alternate wet and dry), non-combustible wood, and not 

 liable to split. The wood is used by shipbuilders, clog- 

 makers, turners, toymakers, and wheelwrights, and the 

 species Salix cerulea is the best wood for making cricket 

 bats. 



