Rubber 



297 



trees, but the whole plant has to be cut down and the rubber extracted either by the vise of 

 solvents or by mechanical methods. Very careful washing is essential, and the necessity for 

 a large supply of water is one of the practical difficulties encountered. Factories have been 

 erected, the largest being stated to be at Torreon, whilst there is another at'Ocampo. The 

 crude rubber contains a high percentage of resins, over twenty per cent., but' these can partly 

 be got rid of by proper treatment. The product is of very fair quality, although usually 

 somewhat soft and sticky. 



TIMBER 



The United Kingdom is largely dependent for its supply of timber on other countries, and 

 the annual value of wood imported is about £25,000,000. 



Deal is a name applied to a number of timbers. It is important, however, to note that 

 originally it was not the name of a timber at all, but rather of particular sizes of certain timbers. 

 Thus, one of the most important of European timbers is Yellow Deal, the wood of the common 

 Scotch Fir (Pinus sylvestris), so well known in the United Kingdom, and used more extensively 

 for ordinary carpentry work than any other timber. Vast forests of this tree occur in Prussia, 

 Prussian Poland, Russia, Norway, Sweden, etc. The best quality for certain purposes is 

 exported from Dantzic, having been floated'down the Vistula. At Dantzic the timber is care- 

 fully sorted into various grades. Whole trees varying from two feet to six feet in circumference 

 at the base are known as " hand masts " ; others less than two feet as " spars " and " poles," 

 whilst those bigger than six feet are trimmed down and called "inch masts." From the 

 remainder the best logs are carefully selected 1 for conversion into " deals "about nine inches 

 in width and three in thickness. Squared-up "timber of eleven inches or more in width forms 

 planks instead of " deals." Deals are in great demand by various Governments for the decks 

 of men-of-war, and must be practically free from sapwood. Next come ordinary planks or 

 boards for more general purposes in which absence of sapwood is not essential. The more 

 irregular logs are made into railway sleepers. 



Dantzic fir is coarse, large sticks being 

 chiefly exported. Smaller or " milder" timbers 

 come from Riga, Memel, whilst joiners' deals are 

 mainly obtained from Christiania, Stockholm, 

 Gefle, Soderham, and Onega. In the dry 

 climate of Northern Europe fir is practically ' 

 indestructible. 



White Deal. White Deal is the wood of 

 the common spruce (Picea excelsa), which occurs 

 over northern and central Europe, forming great 

 forests. It is found on the mountains in the 

 more southern districts, but grows right down 

 to the sea level in the north, e.g., in Norway. 

 Spruce is extensively planted in Great Britain, 

 and there is a famous avenue of old trees known 

 as the Cathedral Firs at Oakley Park, Ciren- 

 cester. Burgundy pitch (q.v.) is obtained from 

 this tree. 



The timber is usually white or somewhat 

 brown, and is distinguished from ordinary deal 

 in having no smell. It is light, soft, elastic, 

 straight and fine grain, and has innumerable 

 uses. 



The best white deals come from Christiania a mahogany tree 



