AMONG THE OAKS 91 



Between 1640 and 1813 the value of oak 

 timber increased tenfold. During the last thirty 

 years of that period it had been quadrupled. 

 Although no longer a necessity for shipbuilding, 

 its uses are now so manifold and so well known, 

 that it would be superfluous to enumerate them. 

 In general durability it excels the timber of any 

 other tree grown in Britain ; and anything like 

 well-grown sound timber can easily be disposed 

 of at two shillings to half-a-crown, and often 

 more, per cubic foot. 



From the manner in which the oak has usually 

 been grown in Britain, however, there is often a 

 want, in fact one might say there is a chronic want, 

 of long clean stems undamaged by branch knots. 

 The whole of England had to be scoured to 

 obtain suitable oak trees for lock-gates in the 

 Manchester Ship Canal, and there is the greatest 

 difficulty in obtaining boles that are sufficiently 

 long and straight to form beams of large size. 



This is, of course, the natural consequence of 

 adherence to the methods which were most suit- 

 able for the growth ot oak when it was mainly 

 required for shipbuilding. Crooks for knees and 

 ribs were necessary, and they could be obtained of 



