294 CORYLACE.E. 



From further information obtained by Mr. Loudon 

 from the Marquis of Downshire, its inferiority to the Oak 

 is principally observed in its greater liability to decay when 

 exposed to weather, or in situations where it is alternately 

 wet and dry ; in all others, it is considered scarcely inferior 

 to the wood of English Oak. Upon the Continent it would 

 appear to attain a still greater degree of perfection, as 

 we learn from Bosc and other writers that the wood 

 is good for all purposes, and that in the south of France 

 it is even preferred to any other for ship-building. At 

 Constantinople, also, it is used for naval timber, as well 

 as for the frame-work of houses. This use of the Cerris 

 timber, in situations where it must be exposed to the 

 vicissitudes of weather, would imply that, grown in a 

 warmer climate, it brings its wood to greater perfection, 

 and endued with superior protecting qualities than it 

 possesses when reared in a higher latitude ; and this 

 agrees with the statement, that the wood of the Cerris 

 in the south of France is much harder and more durable 

 than that produced in the northern parts of the same 

 kingdom. 



But inferior as the Cerris timber grown in England 

 may be in some respects to the British Oak, it is still 

 well worth cultivating for the beauty and excellence of 

 the wainscot it produces, as well as for other purposes 

 to which it is applicable, as staves, joists, beams, &c. ; 

 added to which its rapid growth ensures an early profit, 

 at the same time that the beauty of its form and foliage 

 greatly contributes to the decoration and effect of our 

 landscape scenery. 



The Cerris is a native of the middle and southern parts 

 of Europe, and also extends its range to a portion of 

 Western Asia, being indigenous throughout the greater 



