304 



The World's Commercial Products 



for work to be exposed to the weather. As an instance of its durability under water, it is 

 recorded that the piles of old London Bridge were of elm, and they stood for about 600 years 

 without showing much sign of decay. Naves and spokes of wheels, boards for carts, barrows 

 and other vehicles of cheap construction are frequently made of elm. 



In the West Indies an altogether different tree (Cordia gerascanthus) is called Spanish Elm ; 

 in commerce it is known as Prince Wood. 



Beech. The Beech rivals the oak as the largest British tree, and the Windsor Beeches and 

 Burnham Beeches are of wide renown. The Common Beech (Fagus sylvatica), which occurs 

 wild in England, is found also over a large part of Europe, generally forming extensive forests. 

 Other members of the group occur in such widely separated countries as North America, Austra- 

 lia, and New Zealand, Tasmania, Java, and Tierra del Fuego. Beech wood is reddish- white 



Photo by N.- P. Edwards, Littlehampton 



A LUMBER CAMP, BRITISH COLUMBIA 



in colour, heavy, moderately hard, and very fine and close grained. Exposed to the weather 

 it is not durable, although it is so under water, and is used for mills, sluices, piles, etc. It is 

 largely employed for making chairs, general joinery, the bodies of planes, butchers' blocks 

 and trays, wooden shoes or sabots on the Continent, and by wheelwrights and coachbuilders. 

 Taking a " thread " well, it is used for wooden screws, and also for shoe lasts and trees. Beech 

 burns slowly, is a good fuel, and makes excellent charcoal. 



Sycamore.- The ordinary sycamore tree (Acer Pseudo-Platanus), found in Europe and 

 North America, yields a close, fine-grained, white wood, which is useful for general carpentry. 



The Plane (Platanus occidentalis), often called Sycamore in the United States, also affords 

 a useful timber. Both sycamore and plane, are sometimes called " button wood." 



Maple. One maple, the common field maple, occurs wild in the United Kingdom, but 

 is of no value as a timber tree. The maple wood of commerce comes from North America, the 

 most important kinds being " hard maple " from4he Sugar Maple {Acer saccharum), Red Maple 



