PROPERTIES AND USES OF TIMBER. 395 



darkest mahogany, or even as black as ebony. It 

 makes strong and beautiful chairs, and, when it can 

 be procured of the requisite size, equally good tables. 

 Laburnum is employed to some extent in machinery, 

 especially in block-making, and is often wrought in- 

 to ornamental work by turners. It makes good 

 pegs, and answers well for handles to various instru- 

 ments. 



The Holly, a plant which is too much neglect- 

 ed, furnishes the hardest and most compact timber 

 we have. It requires to be well dried before it 

 is used, otherwise it is liable to warp. Its natu- 

 ral colour is white, but it may be stained to any re- 

 quired hue, as it takes and retains any dye readily 

 and well. It may thus be made to imitate ebony, 

 or any of the harder ornamental woods, which are 

 commonly imported from abroad. Cabinet-makers 

 use it much in ornamental work ; and it is often in 

 request by turners and engravers. 



The following brief summary will place the sub- 

 stance of what has been said more completely under 

 the view of the reader, the various species of tim- 

 ber being placed in connection with the respective 

 departments in which each is most commonly used. 



