44 



BRITISH FOREST TREES. 



rubble subsoil, but we have seen it in rich clay, in 

 row with large beeches, even exceed them in size. 

 We should prefer for it any deep friable dry soil. 



There is one cuxumstance connected vnth this 

 timber in this country, at least in Scotland, which 

 must prevent its general use in ship plank, and be 

 of material injury to it for ship timbers ; this is, 

 that few trees of it of size are found mthout the 

 timber being shaky or split, some to such a degree 

 that the annual rings or concentric growths have se- 

 parated from each other. This appears to be owing 

 to om* climate being colder than what is suitable to 

 the nature of the plant ; the sap in the stem possi- 

 bly freezing in severe w^eather and splitting, or se- 

 vering the growths of the timber, but more probably 

 occasioned by the season being too short, and too 

 moist and cold, to ripen or fill up vdth. dense matter, 

 sufficiently, the frame of the annual growths ; thence, 

 as each ring of sap-wood, prematm'ely hastened by 

 the torpor of moisture and cold, turns to red or ma- 

 tured wood, and, in so doing, dries considerably 

 ivithin the other rings of moist sap-w^ood, the con- 

 tractile force may be sufficient to separate this growth 

 from the next external sap growth, the cohesion ex- 

 isting between the tissue or fabric of the growth 

 being much stronger than the cohesion between one 



