10 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
best weapons for self-defence against 
quarrelsome dogs and rowdy ruffians. 
Straight sticks of sapling oak are not al- 
ways easily obtained, but copse-wood 
sticks pulled from the stumps of trees 
form excellent substitutes. These should 
be selected for walking-sticks which taper 
gradually from I of an inch just below 
the knob or crutch, down to h inch at the 
opposite end. Gnarled and crooked oak 
sticks are sometimes fancied, and heavy 
cudgels are sometimes selected for defen- 
sive purposes. Oak sticks split in drying 
when the bark has been stripped off, or 
the knots cut too close, or the sticks put 
away to dry in a very warm dry place ; 
they are then rendered useless for walk- 
ing-sticks and cudgels. The wood and 
also the form of the knobs or roots v/ill 
admit of much taste being displayed in 
grotesque carving. 
iJ/m.— From the roots of elm trees, 
saplings with a coating of rough bark will 
shoot up straight to a height of some ten 
or twelve feet. These will furnish some 
good walking-sticks of the fancy type, the 
rough bark serving the purpose of orna- 
mentation when the sticks are dried, 
stained, varnished, and polished. The 
wood is also durable, but not very supple 
when dried, and sticks of it are not suit- 
able to hard usage. The usual pre- 
cautions must be taken in drying them. 
Hazel —Ijight sticks of this wood may 
be cut or pulled from almost every 
hedgerow and in any wood. Saplings are 
not unfrequently found of most symmet- 
rical proportions, tapering from 1 inch 
down to i inch through a length of some 
ten or twelve feet; these form very 
tough sticks of any desired size. The 
wood is very light, but it has the dis- 
advantage of bending and remaining 
crooked when leaned upon heavily. It is 
also soft, and may be easily carved. Oc- 
casionally, hazel sticks may be found 
grotesquely entwined with honey suckle, 
and its stem so deeply furrowed with the 
supple vine as to enclose the convolutions 
of the climber. Sticks of this kind are 
valued as fancy sticks, and look well when 
properly prepared, varnished and pol- 
ished. 
Blackthorn.— TMfi is the wood of the 
bush which bears the sloe, and the bullace 
or wild plum. In exposed positions it is 
only a dwarf shrub, but in sheltered 
hedgerows and woodlands it attains a 
height of some twenty feet, and its sap- 
lings run up to a length of from six to 
eight feet straight and taper, but covered 
with stout spines and small twigs. Those 
saplings make excellent walking-sticks, 
both when they can be dug or pulled up, 
and also when they have to be cut off. 
The spines and twigs must not be cut off 
close until the stick is half dried, and then 
cut Avith a sharp knife ; in fact, the knots 
left from the spines and twigs when left 
as slight round excrescences enhance the 
beauty of the finished stick. Blackthorn 
is more famous for its hardness, strength, 
stability, and durability than for light- 
ness, elasticity, and suppleness. A cudgel 
made of blackthorn will deal heavy blows, 
but when matched against one of oak 
would splinter at the knots, the oak being 
the tougher stick. The wood is hard and 
not easily carved, but the root knobs will 
admit of a very fine and smooth polish, 
most grateful to the palm of the hand of 
tJie tired pedestrian. Its congener, the 
whitethorn, or hawthorn, is not so suit- 
able for walking-sticks, being more brittle 
and less durable, but it is sometimes used 
for this purpose. 
Among fruit trees, the cherry will 
furnish some very nice fancy sticks, 
supple, and of tolerable strength; and 
apple wood, when well and carefully 
dried, will yield some good sticks. Grape- 
vine and briar sticks are sometimes used, 
but they cannot be relied upon for stabil- 
ity when leaned upon. 
When sticks are half-dried, that is, when 
the bark is shrunken, has lost its sappy 
greenness and refuses to peel freely, they 
may be trimmed, straightened, or bent as 
required. To straighten or to bend them, 
they may be held over steam until ren- 
dered supple, or buried in hot wet sand 
until this end has been attained, they 
must then be given the form they are in- 
tended to assume (whilst still hot), and 
kept in this form until they are cold, 
straight sticks being tied firmly in small 
bundles, and wound with a coil of rope 
from end to end, or suspended from a beam 
