THE TIMBERS OF COMMERCE 



turnery, interior finishing, saddle-trees " (ioo). " Tough, strong : 

 one of our best woods for veneering, panelling and high- 

 class furniture May be met with up to no ft. high by 4J ft. 

 in diameter." 



Authorities. Hough (49), pt. I. p. 48. Nordlinger (86), 

 vol. iii. p. 41. Macoun (66), p. 99. Ditto (65), p. 21. Sargent 

 (100), No. 64. C. Robb (95). 



Often confused with A. dasycarpum, Ehrh. and A. rubrum 

 Linn., from which it is distinguishable by the breadth of the rays. 

 Robb says : " that curly Maple is properly A. rubrum," but 

 although that species is often curly, yet so is our present species, 

 which, moreover, is the better known of the two. 



Colour. Brown in various shades : yellowish-white : red- 

 dish-brown : ill-defined from the lighter, creamy-white sap- 

 wood. 



Anatomical Characters. Transverse section : — 



Pores. Need lens, rather fine, size 4-5, nearly uniform : 

 evenly distributed, not crowded : rather numerous, 40-85 per 

 sq. mm. : single or in groups of 2-4 pores. 



Rays. Visible or even prominent in certain lights: rather 

 broad, size 3, gently undulating, nearly straight : apparently 

 thickened (or nodose) at the junction with the ring-boundaries 

 (really only darkened in shade) : numerous, 2-4 per mm. : taper- 

 ing to very fine ends, which are a pore-width or more apart : 

 colour, yellow or brownish : glossy. 



Rings. Clearly visible : boundary a clear, fine, brown fine 

 of Autumn wood, and a slight contrast between the Autumn and 

 Spring wood : contour undulating. 



Soft-tissue. Doubtful : patches of cells here and there. 

 According to Nordlinger (86) there are " flame-shaped patches 

 in the spaces between the pores." ? 



Flecks. See Introduction, Plate XX. Figs. 170-1. 



Pith. " One to some mm. thick, angularly-round (' eckigrund ') " 

 (86) : white or reddish. 



Radial Section. Lighter in shade than the transverse section, 

 mottled : pores difficult to trace : rays, prominent flakes, 

 .show up against the brilliant ground, being conspicuous by 

 contrast of their lustre : ring-boundaries just traceable, fine, 

 clearly-cut lines. Plate XXIII. Fig. 180. 



Tangential Section. Very different in appearance to the 

 other two sections: rays minute, just perceptible lines about 

 1 mm. high: rings in narrow, yellowish lines and loops, the 

 chief character of this section, as the silver grain is of the radial 

 section. 



Type specimens authenticated by Hough. Also from com- 

 mercial sources checked by Nordlinger's section. 



56 



