EUEOPEAN TIMBEE 
33 
might apply. Dr. Smith says that natural-grown Scotch 
pine— the same class of timber — after 300 years in the roof 
of an old castle was as fresh and full of sap as new wood 
imported from Memel, and that part of it was wrought up 
into furniture. There is probably less loss in the conver- 
sion of Baltic redwood into small sizes than any other 
timber in general use ; it is generally sound throughout. 
As regards strength and durabihty it is only surpassed 
amongst the coniferous woods by pitch pine, and is suitable 
for indoor or outdoor work. Used for joists, roof timbers, 
doors, window frames in good building, and general joinery, 
it was formerly the chief timber used for heavy construc- 
tion and piling work of quays in Great Britain, and is still 
largely used for this purpose, especially for decking. Some 
of the best deals come from Archangel and other ports on 
the White Sea, and command the highest price in the 
market. Good deals also come from St. Petersburg and 
Finnish ports and the more northern of the Swedish ports, 
being of finer grain, more free from sap, harder and more 
durable than those from the southern Baltic ports. The 
Norwegian timber is small, seldom more than 9 or 10 inches, 
roughly squared, and 30 to 35 ft. long, and the chief trade 
with Norway is in planed wood of rather narrow widths. 
Baltic redwood should be hard and dry to the touch, 
should not leave a woolly surface after the saw, or fill its 
teeth with resin ; the annual rings should be fairly close — 
timber with less than ten to the inch, a few inches out from 
the heart, is objectionable — and twenty rings per inch are 
not uncommon in the outer portions of logs. The shavings 
from this timber — and the same applies to whitewood — 
are a good test of its quality ; in good timber they will bear 
twisting several times round the fingers without cracking, 
whilst those from timber of poor quality come off short and 
brittle. A large trade is done in pit props, telegraph poles, 
T. D 
