XXXVI.] CEDARS. 383 



injurious heart and cup-shakes frequently occur in it. 

 It is deficient in strength, whichever way it is tried, but 

 it works up easily, shrinks only moderately, and stands 

 exceedingly well when seasoned. It is, therefore, of 

 great value to the modeller, the carver, the toy-maker, 

 and the general dealer in light and small wares. Large 

 scantlings cannot, however, be worked out of it for 

 framing in carpentry, neither is it suitable for such 

 employment. 



Cedar timber has long enjoyed the reputation of 

 being durable ; and there is no doubt that Solomon 

 obtained the wood of Cedrus for employment in the 

 fitments, if not in the more solid structure, of the 

 Temple at Jerusalem. The wood has a pleasant though 

 peculiar odour, which is obnoxious to insects and vermin, 

 and articles made of this material are practically free 

 from their attacks. 



DEODAR {Cedrus Deodara). 



This is a very large and tall tree of the North- West 

 Himalayas, found between 4,000 and 10,000 feet, and 

 extending into the mountains of Afghanistan and 

 Beloochistan. The heart-wood is light, yellowish-brown, 

 moderately hard, and distinctly fragrant, and the resin 

 is not in distinct canals, though abundant. The annual 

 rings are very even, and the quality of well-grown 

 timber is excellent; in fact, it is the most durable and 

 useful of the Himalayan Conifers, and must be regarded 

 as by far the most important timber of North-West 

 India, where it is employed for all kinds of construction 

 — sleepers, bridges, carpentry, furniture, and shingles. 

 More information, with tables of its mechanical pro- 

 perties, can be seen in Gamble's " Manual of Indian 

 Timbers." 



