50 



WOOD AND FOREST. 



The weight of wood has a very important bearing upon its use. 

 A mallet-head, for example, needs weight in a small volume, but it 

 must also be tough to resist shocks, and elastic so as to impart its 

 momentum gradually and not all at once, as an iron head does. 



Weight is important, too, in objects of wood that are movable. 

 The lighter the wood the better, if it is strong enough. That is why 

 spruce is valuable for ladders ; it is both light and strong. Chestnut 

 would be a valuable wood for furniture if it were not weak, especially 

 in the spring wood. 



The weight of wood is one measure of its strength. Heavy wood 

 is stronger than light wood of the same kind, for the simple reason 



WEIGHT OF KILX-DRIED WOOD OF DIFFERENT SPECIES. 



Approximate. 



