242 AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY. 



mountain forests have been mentioned on page 218. The fresh 

 wood is greyish white but grows darker and redder by degrees. Its 

 numberless fine pores are evenly distributed. It is distinguished 

 from the oak by its firmer structure and finer grain, but is not so 

 heavy, nor so tough and durable. Easy cleavage, hardness and 

 flexibility are its chief properties. It is used here and there for 

 agricultural implements. Soup bowls are made from it and then 

 lacquered, but it is seldom used for fuel. 



Fam. More^. 



35. Morns Alba, L., Jap. Kuwa. On page 190, this tree and its 

 cultivation have already been considered in connection with silk 

 culture. The wood may be called but a secondary product Its 

 year-rings are outlined like those of the deciduous oak by a girdle 

 of large spring spores. It has lengthwise fibres, generally of a 

 yellow colour, sometimes reddish brown, and is in this latter case 

 more highly valued. It is firm and durable, takes polish easily, 

 and is, within a limited range, used in joiner's work. 



Fam. ULMACE.E. 



56. Zelkowa Keaki, S. and Z. {Planera acmninata, Lindl.), the 

 Keyaki (pronounced Keaki) of the Japanese, is a stately and, be- 

 cause of its wood, a useful tree, found in forests and temple groves 

 as well as along the side walks of village streets, particularly in 

 the neighbourhood of Tokio. It sometimes reaches prodigious 

 size, from 30 to 40 m. height and 10 m. circumference. In ap- 

 pearance it resembles very strongly Celtis australis of the Mediter- 

 ranian regions, as for instance the fine specimens of this kind 

 in the Botanical Garden at Madrid. But it is also similar to our 

 beeches. 



Keaki is the favourite joiner's wood, and plays in Japan the 

 part of oak wood with us, and is somewhat like it. Its most 

 notable recommendations are, that it does not split nor warp easily, 

 so that cross sections may be used, e.g. for trays and bowls, as is 

 done in the Hakone mountains. It is also noted for its great tough- 

 ness, elasticity and durability, as much in water as in dry air, if 

 not felled when full of sap. The smooth grey-white bark resembles 

 in colour and thickness that of our beeches ; the soft, light- 

 coloured sap-wood is quickly transformed into grained wood, whose 

 colour varies according to the situation and age of the tree, from 

 light to dark brown. To make it more valuable, the colour is often 

 deepened by a long submersion in water before working. Keaki 

 is lighter than oak, having a specific gravity of only 0*682. When 

 cut crosswise its small pith-rays are easily distinguished, as is the 

 case with all elms, and the girdles of numberless larger pores on 

 the inside of the year-rings is plainly marked. These pores and 



