THE USES OF WOOD 3 



same load. Wood, again, has much greater 

 powers of recovery after bending than has iron. 

 Wood under long continued strain does not 

 crystallize as do many metals. It does not rust. 

 It is not affected by weak acids. The supply, 

 under a proper system of forestry, is practically 

 unlimited. On the other side of the account 

 may be mentioned the fact that wood is liable 

 to decay, that it is affected by moisture, that 

 it cannot be melted or cast or rolled. 



For ease of reference by those who are in- 

 terested in the world's timbers, we have elected 

 to arrange them under the headings of the various 

 manufactures and trades in which they are most 

 commonly used. To save repetition, as many 

 timbers are used for various purposes, where it 

 is necessary to mention a timber a second or 

 third time the reader is referred back to the 

 section under which the wood is first mentioned. 



We may fittingly remark here that the popular 

 or trade names of many timbers are in a state of 

 hopeless confusion. Thus the Pines should 

 properly be woods of the genus Pinus, but 

 included under the popular name are also 

 members of the genera AgatMs, Araucaria, 

 Dacrydium, Frenela, Podocarpus and Pseudo- 

 tsuga. The Mahoganies, again, are in a hope- 

 less case, so much so that eminent experts con- 

 fess themselves unable to alleviate the chaos. 



