How Pipes are made 169 



qualifications. The root of the French heath-tree, 

 bruyhe, corrupted into briar, is really the only suit- 

 able wood. Cocus, a very dark wood, is used for 

 cheap pipes, but though very hard, splits easily. Myall 

 wood from Australia emits a pleasant odour of violets, 

 is absorbent and hard, but brittle. Maple, juniper, 

 and cherry-wood are used to a small extent. There 

 are few woods which have not been tried at one time 

 or another, but the result of all experiment is to con- 

 firm the fact that briar is practically the only wood 

 suitable for pipes. 



La bruylre, from the roots of which pipes are 

 made, is the heather shrub that grows in the Mediter- 

 ranean countries — in France, Italy, Spain, Algeria, 

 and Corsica. It has no connection with the briar, 

 the English word being merely a' corruption of the 

 French name. Its cultivation is extremely simple, 

 consisting of the regular pruning of the tops in order 

 to promote the growth of the roots. The best briar 

 grows on the hill-sides near Leghorn, the second 

 quality in Corsica, and inferior kinds in Jura and 

 Algeria. Only the root is used, the wood growing 

 above ground being useless, as it is very brittle, and 

 splits immediately a machine knife touches it. In 

 gathering the crop, the plant has to be torn or dug 

 up, roots and all, and it is said that in ten years the 

 supply will be exhausted. 



The roots are often larger than a man's body, and 

 weigh hundreds of pounds. The wood is remarkably 

 beautiful and finely veined, as the examination of 

 even the cheapest pipe shows. It is remarkably tough, 

 does not char, and is practically incombustible. 



