THE TIMBERS OF COMMERCE 



more attention from the planter and forester than it has received 

 hitherto. In addition it is specially useful as a means of fixing 

 shifting sands (69). It sometimes attains a height of 75 ft. and 

 a diameter of 48 inches (100). The wpod splits very straight, 

 easily and smoothly. 



Authorities. Nordlinger (87), p. 538 ; ditto (86), vol. iii. p. 101. 

 Sargent (100), No. 53. Hartig (42), pp. 16 and 39. Schwartz 

 (106), p. 480, plate i. fig. 3. De Mornay(7o), p.58. Holtzapffel 

 (48), p. 91. Hough (49), part iv. p. 21, section No. 80. Mathieu 

 (69), p. 119. Wiesner (131), L. 12, p. 941. Martin (68), p. 226. 

 Sometimes confused with Ash. 



Colour. Yellow : greenish-yellow : yellowish-brown : brown : 

 sharply denned from the greenish- white or yellowish sap-wood, 

 which is about 1-7 rings wide. " Becomes intenser and more 

 beautiful with age" (68). 



Anatomical Characters. Transverse section : — 



Pores. Conspicuous, coarse, size 1, rapidly diminishing in 

 size from the Spring to Autumn wood : more numerous in the 

 pore-ring, but evenly scattered outwards : 10-25 P er sq- mm. 

 single or in subdivided groups of as many as 10 : oval. Filled 

 with thyloses. 



Rays. Just visible : medium, size 4 : shortly tapering both 

 ends : much waved and avoiding the pores : less than a pore- 

 width apart : scarcely denser than the ground-tissue : numerous 

 6-9 per mm. : light brown. 



Rings. Conspicuous : the boundary a coarse pore-ring with 

 loose tissue following the dense Autumn wood, which is poor in 

 pores. 



Soft-tissue. Abundant between the pores of the pore-ring : 

 also encircling the later pores and loosely connecting them into 

 wavy, concentric lines. 



Pith. Roundish five-lobed or pentagonal : the few early rings 

 follow its outline : 2-3 mm. diam : coarse-celled : shining. 



Radial Section. Pores very prominent, often several side by 

 side, contents brown. Rays clear in certain lights ; not promin- 

 ent, white flakes. Rings traceable by the pore-ring only, rather 

 prominent in well-grown wood. Pith dark-brown, extremely 

 soft. 



Tangential Section. As the Radial, but the pores scarcely so 

 numerous nor so coarse. Rays need the lens, fine brownish lines 

 about 1 mm. high. Plate XXII. fig. 176. 



Type specimens from commercial sources also authenticated 

 by Hough and verified by comparison with Nordlinger's section. 



60 



