chap. cxin.

CONl'FElliE. iA'UIX.

2365

it; and on the following lines in Ovid , which seem to allude to some resin-ous tree, —

“ The new made trees in tears of amber run,

Which harden into value by the sun.”

Lucan tells us that the “gummy larch” was one of the articles burnt to driveaway serpents. Among the British poets, Ben Jonson mentions the larch.A witch says, —

“ Yes, I have brought to help your vows

Horned poppy, cypress boughs,

The fig tree wild that grows on tombs,

And juice that from the larch tree comes.” Masque of Queens.

Properties and Uses. The wood of the larch, according to Hartig, weighs681b. 13 oz. per cubic foot when green, and 361b. 6 oz. when dry; andaccording to Kasthoffer, it lasts four times longer than that of any otherspecies of dbietinm. That of trees produced in a good soil is of a yellowishwhite; but that of trees grown in a cold and elevated situation is reddish orbrown, and very hard. In a suitable situation, the timber is said to come toperfection in 40 years, while that of the pinaster requires 60 years, and thatof the Scotch pine 80 years. (Tram . Soc. Art., vol. xxix. p. 25.) Thoughthe wood of the larch ignites with difficulty, and a fire made of it will, if notattended to, extinguish itself before the wood is half-consumed, yet, if properlymanaged, the wood of old trees is capable of producing an intense heat; andM. Hartig ranks it, in comparison with that of the beech, as 1248 to 1540.The charcoal of the larch, according to M. De Werneck, is more rich incarbon than that of either the spruce or the silver fir, but less so than thepine or the beech; being as 6409 to 7299 for the pine, and 6409 to 7871 forthe beech. The charcoal of the larch is very heavy, and weighs 16|lb.(7| kilogrammes) per cubic foot: it is said to be excellent for iron founderies.The bark of young larches is astringent, and it is used in the Alps for tanningleather; where the leaves and young shoots are sometimes given to cattle.The only objections which have been made to the wood of this tree in Britain are, according to Monteath, its being so remarkably hard to season, that it isalmost impossible to keep it from bending and twisting ; and that, when it isproperly seasoned, it is so very hard, that it is difficult to work, and moreespecially to be smoothed on the surface with the plane. To remedy the evilof twisting, some adopt the method of steeping it (whilst in the log) in waterfor twelve months, and then taking it out, and drying it for twelve monthsmore, before cutting it up. Steaming has also been resorted to for the samepurpose; but Monteath prefers a practice which has been often recommended,though but little employed, viz. that of barking the tree standing, and thenleaving it a year before it is cut down.

The Uses of the Wood of the Larch in France and Switzerland . Accordingto Varennes de Fenille, the disposition of the fibres of the wood resemblesthat of the silver fir; and each annual layer consists of a zone of very hardwood of dark orange, and a zone of softer wood which is of a pale orange°r yellow. The President de la Tour d’Aigues, who has written copiouslyon the uses of the larch, says: “ The wood is not filled with knots, like that°f the spruce fir : it is excellent for carpentry; beams made of it are verystrong, and not subject to rot; it may be employed safely in damp places, as,tor instance, in cellars; and it will remain sound and uninjured, even whenresting on the earth.” According to Rozier: “ Every one who knows thelarch agrees that it is the best of all the different kinds of wood, whether forthe carpenter or the cabinet-maker. Its strength is at least equal to that ofthe oak. The Germans make casks of it, which may be said to last for ever,and from which the spirituous particles of the wine are hardly ever found tohave evaporated. In Upper Dauphine, Savoy, and the Pays de Vaud , housesar e built of it, by placing squared trunks, of the thickness of 1 ft., one uponanother, in the manner of building log-houses. (See p. 2123.) The heat of the