118 



GROWING GOLD. 



They are easily discovered by the botanical 

 descriptions : the latter species can be iden- 

 tified by the twigs and branches, and also 

 by the roughness of the bark on the lower 

 part of the stem, at any season of the year 

 while the trees are young. There are state- 

 ments that the different species of oak can 

 be distinguished by the character, flash, or 

 marks across the grain, when specimens are 

 planed and polished : but individual trees of 

 each species have more or less character, 

 therefore there is no dependence to be placed 

 on the quality of oak timber, unless it is 

 examined by a competent person whilst it is 

 standing. 



The evidence before the committee of the 

 House of Commons, on shipwrecks, gives a 

 much less durability to foreign oak than to 

 British timber ; therefore it is likely to be of 

 the inferior species of oak, as it abounds 

 on the continent, especially in the German 

 forests. A small part of Mr. Symonds's 

 evidence ought to be known to all : " he has 



