CHAPTER XVI. 



THE RIGA OAK TREE (Quercus}. 



THIS Oak, like the preceding, takes its name from the 

 port of shipment, and is the produce of a tree found 

 some distance in the interior of Russia, whence it is 

 brought by the River Diina to Riga. Its dimensions 

 are only moderate, and, as it is far from being abundant, 

 very little ever reaches this country, except in the form 

 of wainscot logs, of which there were imported into the 

 London market, 20,500 pieces in 1874, 9,400 in 1873, 

 8,100 in 1872, 7,700 in 1871, and about 10,400 in the 

 previous year. 



It is characteristic of this Oak timber, that the 

 medullary rays are very numerous and more dis- 

 tinctly marked than is the case with the Dantzic 

 Oak ; but, otherwise, the wood is in colour, texture, 

 fineness of grain, and general appearance, very much 

 the same, as is also its strength and specific gravity. 

 There is no reason, therefore, to doubt its fitness for 

 employment in civil architecture, or for general pur- 

 poses, but it is chiefly shipped to this country to meet 

 the demand for ornamental work, and for the manu- 

 facture of furniture. 



To prepare it for the London market, the butt 



