CATALOGUE OF THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 153 



with light weight. Procurable in lengths up to 25 feet and up to 18 inches 

 wide. Used for ships' blocks, coopers' ware, wheelwrights' bent stuff." 

 (Board of Agriculture, New Zealand.) 



Manuka. Leptospermum ericoides, A. Rich. New Zealand. 



This timber, the produce of the tea tree, is, according to the Board 

 of Agriculture, New Zealand, red in colour, dense, straight-grained, and 

 elastic. It is only procurable in short lengths which are small in size. 

 It is used for wheelwrights' work and for inlaying. 



Maple. Acer saccharinum, Wang. ; A. saccharum, Marsh. ; A. macro- 

 pkyllum, etc. Weight, 37 lbs. 2 oz. Canada, United States. 



This very important timber is drawn from a wide expanse of 

 country and is obtained from many species. It has, therefore, an 

 extensive range of quality, from the best hard, tough-grained white maple, 

 through many stages to a soft, often bluish or reddish medium-textured 

 wood. The best is always asked for and sometimes obtained ; it is 

 termed in specifications " hard, white, rock maple." A considerable 

 quantity is found with a curly, twisted grain, and is known as " curly " 

 or " bird's-eye " maple. This variety is much in demand for decorative 

 work, and is generally used in the form of veneers. The whiter the 

 wood in which this description is found, the more highly it is valued. 

 It is used for trimmings of buildings, cabinet work, furniture, and general 

 decorative purposes, especially in the saloons and state-rooms of yachts 

 and steamers, and for railway coaches. 



A particular variety of wavy, curly grain without bird's-eye marking 

 has been called " Papapsco wood " {q.v.). Other uses for maple are 

 very varied, and include rollers for several kinds of machines, agricultural 

 implements, presses for heavy machinery, and for general furniture. A 

 finely carved German coffer of maple, dating from the fourteenth century, 

 can be seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum at South Kensington. 



It has also been used for the backs of violins. The violin of the 

 musician in Longfellow's " Wayside Inn " was 



Fashioned of maple and of pine, 



That in Tyrolean forests vast 



Had rocked and wrestled with the blast. 



Perhaps one of the most important uses for maple is for floorings. 

 For public buildings, schoolrooms, warehouses, and factories it is almost 

 impossible to find its equal. The texture being of a tough, substantial 

 nature, without any long or fibrous grain, the surface is not torn or 

 flaked and withstands the hardest wear. Mr. John Collard says that the 

 continual dragging of heavy pianofortes over the floor of the workshops 

 (obviously a most trying test), makes little impression on a maple floor. 



