62 



BRITISH FOREST TREES. 



Some years ago, when demolishing an old build- 

 ing which had stood fully a century, the mter 

 found the large frames of the building, or ground 

 coupleSf which, from their situation, could not have 

 been renewed, to consist of this timber ; and, with 

 the exception of the outside, which was so much 

 decayed, for about half an inch in depth, as the 

 finger could pick it away, the body of the w^ood was 

 as fi'esh as at first, still fit for any pm'pose, and of a 

 beautiful pink or salmon colom*. "When w^e observed 

 the mouldering exterior of these pieces, we laid one 

 of the smallest hollow over a log, and struck it vAth 

 a large wooden mallet, not doubting that it w^ould 

 go to fragments ; such, however, was the i^esilience, 

 that the mallet rebounded so greatly as almost to 

 leap from om- hands. 



For country pm-poses, red-wood willow is em- 

 ployed in the construction of mill w^ater-wheels, of 

 the body or boarding of carts, especially of lining of 

 carts employed in the carriage of stones, or of any 

 utensil requuing strong, tough, light, dm'able board- 

 ing. Fomierly, before the introduction of u'on-hoops 

 for cart-wheels, the external rim or felloe was made 

 of willow ; when new, the cart or wain was driven 

 along a road covered with hard small gravel (in pre- 

 ference, gravel somewhat angular), by which means 



