40 THE FOREST TREES OF UPPER CANADA. 



38. Iron-wood (Ostrya virginica). — A small, slender tree, 40 to 50 

 feet in height, and 8 to 10 inches in diameter. The hark remarkable for 

 its fine, narrow, longitudinal divisions, and of a "brownish colour. The 

 wood hard, strong, and heavy ; used for hand-spikes and levers, hence 

 the name lever wood ; it is also called hop hornbeam. Found only 

 sparsely scattered through the forests of deciduous trees. Specific gra- 

 vity, - 76 ; weight of cubic foot, 47 - 5 lbs. ; much prized for fuel. 



39. White Thorn (Crataegus punctata). — A common shrub or small 

 tree, 15 to 20 feet high, and 6 inches in diameter, found in thickets on 

 dry rocky lands. Thorns stout, rigid, sharp, and a little recurved, 1^ 

 inches long. Flowers white, fruit hright purple, and some varieties 

 white. The wood extremely hard, used by wood engravers, for mallets, 

 &c. Specific gravity, - 75 ; weight of cubic foot, 46 lbs. 



40. Black Thorn (Cratcegus tomentosa). — A large shrub or small 

 tree, 12 to 15 feet high, thorns 1 to 2 inches long, found in thickets and 

 hedges. Flowers large, fragrant, and white ; fruit, orange red ; wood 

 hard, like white thorn. 



41. Wild Apple Tree (Pyrus coronaria). — A small tree, 15 to 20 

 feet high, common in the western part of Upper Canada. Wood hard, 

 like the thorn ; flowers large, rose-coloured ; fruit one inch in diameter, 

 yellowish, hard, and sour, but esteemed for preserves. 



42. Pepperidge {Nyssa multiflora). — Found only in the western part 

 of Upper Canada, and of an average height of 100 feet, of 60 feet to the 

 first limb, and of 12 to 18 inches in diameter ; scarce. The bark light 

 grey, similar to that of the white oak,-and broken into hexigons. The 

 wood is white, fine-grained, soft, the texture consisting of interwoven 

 fibres, rendering it very difficult to split. It is, therefore, useful for 

 beetles, naves of wheels, and for purposes requiring the toughest 

 timber. 



43. Dogwood (Cornus florida). — Common in Upper Canada, grows 

 20 to 30 feet high, and 8 inches in diameter. The wood is very hard 

 and compact, and hence the name Cornel from the Latin Cornu, a horn ; 

 used for -mallets, and is well adapted for the same purposes as box-wood. 

 It is so remarkably free from silex, that splinters of the wood are used 

 by watchmakers for cleaning the pivot-holes of watches, and by the 

 optician for removing the dust from small lenses. The bark is rough, 

 extremely bitter, and used in medicine as a tonic. Specific gravity, 

 0*78 ; weight of cubic foot, 50 lbs. 



44. White Cedar (Thuja occiden talis). — Found extensively over Ca- 

 nada on the rocky borders of streams and lakes, and in swamps. It 

 grows to the height of 60 to 70 feet, rapidly diminishing in size, throw- 

 ing out branches from base to summit. The wood is light, soft, coarse- 

 grained, and very durable ; much used in frame work of buildings and 

 for the upper timbers of ships, as posts for fences, gates, &c. It is one 

 of the most durable of Canadian woods : much esteemed also for makiu'' 



