ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, IV. i. 2-4 



rafters beams and yard-arms ^ are made from these, 

 and also masts of great length which are not however 

 equally strong ; while masts made of trees grown in 

 a sunny place are necessarily- short but of closer 

 grain and stronger than the others. 



Yew pados and joint-fir rejoice exceedingly in 

 shade. On mountain tops and in cold jwsitions 

 odorous cedar grows even to a height, while silver-fir 

 and Phoenician cedar grow, but not to a height, — 

 for instance on the top of Mount Cyllene ; and holly 

 also grows in high and very wintry positions. These 

 trees then we may reckon as cold-loving ; all others, 

 one may say in general, prefer a sunny position. 

 However this too depends partly on the soil appro- 

 priate to each tree ; thus they say that in Crete on 

 the mountains of Ida and on those called the White 

 Mountains the cypress is found on the peaks whence 

 the snow never disappears ; for this is the principal 

 tree both in the island generally and in the moun- 

 tains. 



Again, as has been said ^ already, both of wild and 

 of cultivated trees some belong more to the moun- 

 tains, some to the plains. And on the mountains 

 themselves in proportion to the height some grow 

 fairer * and more vigorous in the lower regions, some 

 about the peaks. However it is true of all trees 

 anywhere that with a north aspect the wood is 

 closer and more compact^ and better generally; and, 

 generally speaking, more trees grow in positions 

 facing the north. Again trees which are close 



3 3. 2 4. 



* Something seems to have dropped out before iart. 

 ' ovKoTfpa. conj. W. from mutilated word in U; KaK\imr*pa 

 MV; KaWia Aid. 



289 



