No. 149.] 351 



be worked more readily, does uot warp easily, is less dear than 

 the yellow, and can be worked with much less labor and ex- 

 pense. The pine work of this country, stich as doors, surbases, \ 

 inside shutters, are chiefly manufactured from the pinus abies. 

 The pinus strobus, which abounds in Northern New-York and 

 Canada, is soft, light, and possesses a fine clear grain, belongs to 

 the pinus abies family, and is particularly valuable as affor.Ung 

 boards and plank of great width, rendering it particularly useful 

 in various joiner's work, but is seldom used for beams, not being 

 considered sufficiently strong. 



All the pine family should be remarkably well dried and sea- 

 soned before it is made use of for building purposes, and such 

 pieces as contain sap, should not be used for the reason that it 

 occasions what is usually termed dry rot, or in other words a 

 fungi or minute plant, which spreads with great rapidity through- 

 out the plank or board, feeding upon its sap, causing the fibres 

 to become brittle, and in a short time inducing total decay 

 throughout the whole structure, especially if no arrangement is 

 made to admit a circulation of air, which has a tendency to pre- 

 vent its ravages ; in all houses built chiefly of white pine, a cir- 

 culation should in no case be omitted. Where great endurance 

 is required, the pine placed in confined situations should by all 

 means be charred, or washed with dissolved sulphate of iron, or 

 it may be impregnated with corrosive sublimate, Ryan's patent, 

 rather too expensive for general purposes, still one ot great utility. 



Pine should never be used in stone or brick walls, as it will 

 inevitably decay, and thus tiirow the wall. It has frequently 

 been used for board timber instead of oak, being cheaper ; the 

 consequence generally is premature decay, and consequent inju- 

 ry to the wall. 



Yellow pine is the best for floors of houses, in which carpets 

 are generally used, as it is essential that they should not warp 

 after they are nailed, but be tight and level ; this description of 

 stuff being fine grained is not apt to shrink, and consequently 

 .cannot prove injurious in any respect to carpets. 



