96 TIMBER AND TIMBER TREES. [chap. 



somewhat curved and crooked shape ; thiSj however, is 

 one of its most valuable characteristics, as naturally 

 curved timber is almost indispensable for wood ship- 

 building. It is when grown under these conditions 

 that it appears to attain its maximum of hardness, and 

 is often found so gnarled and knotty that it is diiificult 

 to work. 



The long, straight, fair-grown trees, which yield the 

 largest proportion of useful wood, are most in request 

 for the general purposes of the architect and engineer, 

 but they are also fully appreciated by ship-builders, who 

 employ them for beams, waterways, keelsons, etc. 



Oak timber of the gnarled description, and having 

 some figure in the grain, is in request for articles of 

 furniture J and even when in a state of decay, or in its 

 worst stage of " foxiness," the cabinet-maker prizes it for 

 its deep-red colour, and works it up in a variety of 

 ways. 



The economical uses of Oak timber, and especially 

 the English varieties of it, are, on account of its many 

 valuable properties and freedom from excessive weight 

 — the specific gravity being about "597 to i'024 — so 

 extensive that it would be impossible to enumerate the 

 many useful purposes to which it is applied, while in 

 wood ship-building it is invaluable, and, indeed, almost 

 indispensable, as it is flexible enough to bear bending to 

 the most curved and difficult parts in a ship's con- 

 struction, without breaking. 



The wood is light-brown in colour, hard, tough, and 

 very strong ; it does not splinter readily, and its solidity 

 of character is such that it resists well the action of 

 water. In seasoning it is apt to warp and shrink, 

 although not to any considerable extent ; consequently 

 it cannot be used in a partially dried state without in- 



