XX.] INDIAN TEAK. 187 



observed in applying the fastenings when brought into 

 use. The average weight is not far from 40 lbs. per 

 cubic foot. The quality of the timber depends very 

 much upon the locality in which it is grown, and is 

 exceedingly variable. Teak wood is very fragrant, 

 and contains a resinous oily body which clogs its 

 pores and resists the action of water, and it often 

 oozes into and congeals in the shakes which radiate 

 from the pith, forming there a hard concrete substance 

 which no edge-tool can touch without losing its keen- 

 ness. This is no doubt due to the calcareous salts 

 deposited in the wood. The oil also acts as a preventive 

 against rust when iron is in contact with it, and for this 

 reason it is preferred to all other known woods for the 

 backing to the armour-plates of iron-clad ships of war. 

 It possesses, indeed, so many valuable properties, that it 

 has long been held in great esteem as a material for 

 construction, while its economical uses are so great, that 

 there is no carpenter, or other worker in wood, who does 

 not, after having once tried it, fully appreciate its value. 

 Its durability is remarkably long, and even the ravages 

 of white ants seem to be resisted by it. 



In favourable situations the Teak tree grows to a 

 sufficient height to furnish the lower masts for ships of 

 2,000 tons burthen, and it is commonly employed for 

 this purpose in the East Indies. Ordinarily the practice 

 is to cut off the bole or stem below the branches; 

 whereas, in many cases, it would be easy to include in 

 it the knots of some of the low;er ones, and thus gain a 

 foot or two more of length in the log, which the ship- 

 builders and many others would consider to greatly 

 enhance its value. 



In the late contracts for this description of timber for 

 the royal dockyards, it was stipulated that the minimum 



