COMMON YEW. 37l 



wares of the turner. Its extraordinary power of resisting 

 decay and corruption is not, however, restricted to manu- 

 factured articles, or where it is protected from exposure 

 to the weather or the alternation of moisture and dryness, 

 as it is equally remarkable for its superior durability 

 when exposed or used in exterior or out-of-door work ; 

 thus for piles, pumps, &c, the Yew will last longer than 

 any other wood, and Gilpin gives the advice that, " where 

 your paling is most exposed to wind or springs strengthen 

 it with a post of Yew. That hardy veteran (he adds,) 

 fears neither storms above nor damps below. It is a 

 common saying, among the inhabitants of the New Forest, 

 that a post of Yew will outlast a post of iron." 



In France, Loudon mentions that the Yew is found 

 to make the strongest of all wooden axletrees. Even the 

 branches are of considerable value, making stakes and 

 hoops of great durability, and the young shoots, stripped 

 of their bark, may be woven into baskets much stronger 

 and more lasting than those of the willow. Another 

 valuable property possessed by the Yew, given on Bou- 

 cher's authority, ought not to be omitted : it is, " that the 

 wooden parts of a bed made of Yew will most certainly not 

 be approached by bugs ;" a knowledge consolatory to those 

 who have Yew timber to convert to such a purpose, and 

 who are subject to the attacks of this irritating and dis- 

 gusting insect. 



The wood of the Yew after being cut is long in becom- 

 ing perfectly seasoned ; yet it is said to shrink so little 

 in drying as not to lose above ts" part of its bulk, a pro- 

 perty no doubt arising from the close and compact nature 

 of its grain, the result of slow growth, and the thinness 

 of the layers of wood that it annually deposits, two hun- 



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