TIMBER 
botanical names the same ; moreover, trees of the same 
species may produce a much poorer quaHty of timber when 
obtained from different countries or even from different 
locahties in the same country, so that botanical knowledge 
will not allow us to dispense with other tests. The wood 
of the northern pine (P. sylvestris) varies considerably in 
quality if obtained in parts of Norway from that obtained 
in Sweden or Eussia, and there is even a difference 
between the pine of South Sweden and that obtained 
from North Sweden. 
In practical work one has to keep to the vernacular, 
but that changes not only with countries, but with localities 
in the same country, and makes the difficulties of dis- 
tinguishing the different timbers particularly troublesome, 
especially in places such as India and the East, where there 
are so many languages and dialects, and the same timber is 
known by different names in each. In London the Baltic red- 
wood planking is known as " yellow deal," but the man in the 
north of England who talks about yellow deal is thought to 
be referring to Canadian yellow pine, and which in its 
native district and America generally is called " white pine." 
Baltic redwood is referred to sometimes as pine, sometimes 
as fir ; again Oregon pine and Douglas fir, which are the 
same timber, are much confused, and if the timber man 
finds that you do not like Oregon he will sometimes offer 
you Douglas fir, telling you it is a different wood and much 
superior. This is not done to deceive you, but from a belief 
that they are different timbers, and of this the author has 
had experience. The timber merchant has much to answer 
for in the way of calling, or miscalling, various timbers. A 
quantity of different woods are known under the common 
name of " white wood," which comes from America, the 
Baltic, Galatz and other places, and is often the produce 
of quite different trees ; sometimes the same timber is 
