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ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.
PART III.
Casus abies visura marinos.” Georg., ii. 68.
The fir about to brave the dangers of the seas.
“ Apta fretis abies.”
The fir useful in ship-building.
In the Eclogues, Virgil says, alluding to the situations in which it grows, —
- Pulcherrima . . .
.abies in montibus altis.” Eel., vii. 66.
The abies is the most beautiful tree on lofty mountains.
JEn. t viii. 599.Pitt's trans.
The wood was employed by the ancients for many different purposes. Pliny speaks of it in several places. It is preferred to that of the larch, he says, forthe masts of vessels, on account of its lightness. In his 16th book, hespeaks of a silver fir that formed the mast of a vessel on board which theEmperor Caligula had an obelisk transported from Egypt to Rome . Thismast required the outstretched arms of four men to encircle it, and cost80,000 sesterces, or about 30/. The Romans employed the silver fir for jave-lins, as appears by the following lines from Virgil : —
-“ Cujus apertum
Adversi longd transverberat abiete pectus. ” Mn., xi. 666 .
Whose breast exposed the long fir spear transpierced.
The resinous products of the silver fir were also well known to Theophrastus and Pliny , who both detail the modes practised by the Greeks and Romansin preparing pitch and tar, which scarcely differ at all from those in commonuse at the present day.
The silver fir was introduced into England in the seventeenth century;but the precise period is not known. Plot and Ray mention some treesgrowing near Newport in Shropshire; and Evelyn speaks of two Spanish orsilver firs growing in Harefield Park, Middlesex, that were planted there in1603, at two years’ growth from the seed. The tree was strongly recom-mended by Evelyn for its beauty, and its fitness to adorn walks and avenues;and it has, accordingly, been very generally planted for ornamental purposes.In 1797, the Society of Arts gave their gold medal to Henry Vernon, Esq.,of Hilton Park, near Wolverhampton, for having planted upwards of 6000silver firs. As this tree ripens seeds freely, it is now common in the nurseries,and very generally introduced into plantations, especially such as are orna-mental ; and, in grounds laid out before the middle of the eighteenth century,it may seen near mansions, rearing its fine pyramidal head above all othertrees.
Properties and Uses. The wood of the silver fir is elastic, and the colouris whitish. The grain is irregular, as the fibres which compose it are partlywhite and tender, and partly yellow, or fawn-coloured, and hard. The narrowerthe white lines are, the more beautiful and solid is the grain of the wood.In the Vosges, it is said that the external layers are more compact than theinternal ones; which may arise from the practice of barking the trees therebefore they are cut down. The weight of this wood varies exceedingly,according to the age of the tree, the place where it grew, and even the partof the trunk from which it was taken. According to Hartig, the wood of atree 80 years old weighs 66 lb. 14 oz. per cubic foot green, and 41 lb. 5 oz.when dry; while that of a tree 40 years old weighs only 371b. 9 oz. whendry. It shrinks considerably in drying, like all white woods. It is used forplanks, and carpentry of all kinds; for the masts of small vessels; for joistsand rafters ; and for building the boats used for navigating rivers. It is saidto endure a long time when used as piles, and to be much employed in Hol-
In the JEneid he says, —
— " ■ '■ “ Undique colies
Jnclusere cavi, et nigrd nenius abiete cingunt.”(( Hills clad with fir, to guard the hallow’d bound,Rise in the majesty of darkness round.”