BUILDING MATERIALS. 257 



which was built in 1760, and from which we removed oak beams in a 

 perfect state of preservation ; and I again used the same timber in the 

 construction of a new cottage. 



The ash, when well matured, is very tough and hard, and is found 

 very useful when used in situations where there is great pressure ; but 

 for the general purposes of buildings it cannot be recommended. 



The larch is much used on some estates. When of old age and well 

 seasoned, it certainly is very durable ; but it is much given to split, and 

 it is very seldom that well-matured larch is to be found, as a rule. 



The Scots pine when young is soft, and not adapted for building pur- 

 poses ; but when found of very old age, and when it has been grown on 

 a poor soil, it is a first-class building material, such as the timber found 

 in the old Scotch pine-forests, which has been for many years used in 

 the construction of ships at Aberdeen and Garmouth. 



The pine tribe generally come next to the oak for the purposes of 

 building. The timber of the pine is straight-grained, easily worked, and 

 strong, and is used in all the general construction of buildings where 

 timber is used. 



The pine which we receive in this country under the name of "foreign 

 timber " is divided into three classes red, white, and yellow pine. 

 The red pine is found in Canada under the name of Pinus resinosa. 

 The white pine is found under the name of Pinus strdbus, and the 

 yellow pine under the name of Pinus mitis. 



The red pine is first-class timber, being fine-grained, free from knots, 

 and resinous. It is well adapted for outside work such as doors and 

 windows and also for beams, joists, scantlings, &c. 



The white pine makes excellent flooring and inside doors. The colour 

 of its timber is white. It is also very light and fine-grained. 



The yellow pine is suitable for fine work inside the buildings, such as 

 panellings, window-shutters, and other fittings. It is fine-grained, strong, 

 and durable in the heart, but the outside sap-wood is not lasting. 



That class of foreign timber which we receive in this country under 

 the name of Norway battens is also very valuable for general building 

 purposes. 



Another kind of timber which we receive under the name of Swedish 

 plank is derived from a spruce tribe Abies excelsa and is generally an 

 inferior class of timber, being rough and full of knots. It is, however, 

 very useful in the erection of weather-boarding, wooden partitions, &c. 



11. Metals. The chief metals in use in the erection of buildings are 

 iron, lead, zinc, copper, and brass. Iron is that which is chiefly used, and 

 it consists of two kinds namely, wrought or forged iron and cast iron. 

 The quality of wrought iron can be judg*ed by examining a fracture 



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