CHAP. CIV.

.BETULa'cETE. A'LNUS.

1681

a few months, and the furniture afterwards well varnished over with what iscalled the French polish, it will stand unharmed for generations.” ( Lauder'sGilpin, vol. i. p. 137.) Wood of alder, which has lain a long time in peatbogs, becomes as black as ebony ; and as, in a recent state, it readily receivesa black dye, while, from the homogeneousness of its texture, it will take abetter polish than soft woods do generally, it forms a very common substitutefor that wood in small articles; but it has always a dull hue, being inca-pable of receiving the lustre of the real ebony. When used in constructionsabove ground, it ought only to be placed in situations where it will be keptperfectly dry : but the great use of the wood, on a large scale, is for piles, asfoundations for bridges and other buildings, water-pipes, barrels of pumps,and props for mines. The spray is more durable than that of most othertrees, when used for filling drains in moist soil. Dorsetshire woodwards(woodmen), Mitchell observes, “ have nearly the same adage applied to alderpoles, when peeled for rafters, as those of the midland counties have for willowsand poplars (see p. 1637.); viz: —

“ Thatch me well, and keep me dry,

Heart of oak 1 will defy.”

“ Stakes of alder,” he says, “ will not stand twelve months, nor will the timberdo for posts, or anything else, where it is in contact with the ground, exceptunder water. The wood, however,” he adds, “ ought not to be entirely re-jected;” and he recommends it as linings for stone-carts and wheelbarrows,that are in constant use ; “ because, being soft, though it may bruise, it doesnot split by the stones being tumbled in.” It makes better weather-boardsthan elm or beech, because it does not warp or cast. ( Dendrol ., p. 55.) Alderhop-poles, according to Cobbett, will only last one year. As fuel, the alderis to the beech as 985 is to 1540: but, like other woods of little value asfuel for heating dwelling-houses, it is preferred for other purposes, where aslow and not fierce heat is required; such as for heating bakers’ ovens, forburning limestone and chalk, for burning bricks, &c. The charcoal is es-teemed excellent for making gunpowder ; but for domestic uses it is consideredinferior, being to that of the beech as 885 is to 1600. The ashes yield at therate of 65lb. of potash to 1000 lb. of ashes; which ranks it among 73 otherwoods that yield this salt, in the 67th degree. The bark on the young woodis powerfully astringent, and is employed by tanners: and the young shootsare used both for tanning, and dyeing red, brown, and yellow ; and, in combi-nation with copperas, to dye black. The catkins dye green; and the femalecatkins are used by fishermen to sustain their nets above water, instead ofcork. In Hall’s Travels in Scotland, the author says that the country peoplein the Highlands make their own shoes; and, to avoid the tax on leather, pri-vately tan the hides with the bark of birch and alder. ( Travels in Scotland, vol. ii.p. 401.) The fresh wood dyes a snuff-colour; and the bark, dried and pow-dered, and mixed with logwood, bismuth, &c., yields the colour called boue deParis. It is said that the Laplanders masticate the bark, and, with the salivaso coloured, stain their leathern garments red. (Syl. Sketches, p. 9.) In France,the small roots are split, and worked into baskets; and the knotty parts of thelarger roots are used for inlaying cabinet-work. Both linen and woollencloths are dyed black by boiling them with the flowers, buds, female catkins,bark, and spray, and afterwards putting them into water which has been usedat a smith’s forge for quenching the red-hot iron. The leaves are used inmedicine as detersive ; and they are employed in decoctions and gargles fordiseases of the throat. Among the uses which may be considered obsolete,are two mentioned by Pennant; viz. spreading the boughs over the fieldsduring summer; leaving them there during the winter to rot: and, in the fol-lowing March, clearing off the undecayed parts, and ploughing the ground fora crop of corn. The other use is that of strewing the leaves and young shootson the floors of houses to attract fleas, which are said to be entangled in the“ tenacious liquor, as birds are by birdlime.”

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