LIST OF WOODS OF ALGERIA, &c.
153
37. Genevrier -a-feuillcs do cedre; anevergreen tree.
38. Houx; an evergreen tree - -
3‘J. Laarier-sauce ; an evergreen tree
40. Sumac des corroyeurs: an ever-green tree.
41. Aubepinc; a deciduous tree - -
42. Ncrprun alaterne; an evergreentree.
43. Citronnicr ; an evergreen tree -
44 Oranger ; an evergreen tree — -
45. Blanc d’Hollande, a deciduous ti'ee
4G. Chene a gland doux - - - -
40. Micocoulier — — — - —
53. Jujubier domestique - - -
Juniperus , G X 3$ X 2 ; shows a diameter of about 4 inches. Alburnum purewhite, duramen dark chestnut; in bark ; a resinous wood.
Ilex, sp., 6 X 3 X 2, in bark ; shows a diameter of about 4 inches; a hard wood.
Laurus, sp., 6X5X2; a light, sofr, weak, open-grained wood; in bark.
-6X 2X11; moderately hard, though light, weak, and open-grained;
in bark.
Crataegus , sp., 6X6X2; a fine, close-grained, hard, and rather heavy wood; inbark.
Rhamnus Alaternus, 6X5X2. A hard, and heavy, though open-grained wood;alburnum fine citron-yellow; duramen dark red-brown ; in bark; shows adiameter of about 6 inches.
Citrus Limonium, 6 X 2£ X \\ ; shows a diameter of about 3j inches ; in bark ;a hard wood.
Citrus Aurantium , 6X5X2; shows a diameter of about 10 inches ; in bark : ahard wood.
- 6 X 7 X 21; a light, soft, weak, and open-grained wood ; shows a
diameter of about 11 inches; in bark.
Celtis.
ITnvus.
Morus alba.
Ziziphus.
A numerous senes of small specimens of the woods ofthe Upper Pyrenees, suitable for cabinet-work, is alsoexhibited (St. Ubery, 1495, p. 1248). They are valuablechiefly as showing the grain and character of the differ-ent woods, when polished and varnished, and as employedby cabinet-makers. The Jury awarded a Prize Medal forthis collection.
Specimens of acacia wood, as employed for machinery,are exhibited by Moussillac-Amand, of La Reole (933,p. 1224); these were deemed worthy of HonourableMention.
Some very interesting specimens of preserved woodare shown by I. A. Boucherie (1104, p. 1230), inillustration of his process of protecting timber from de-cay, dry-rot, and the attacks of insects.
The remarkable experiments of Dr. Boucherie, on theabsorption of saline and other solutions by trees, are wellknown, and excited very general interest about ten yearssince. He has, for a long time, been engaged in an ex-tended and minute series of experiments on wood, theobject of which was to ascertain the substance best fittedto preserve timber from decay, and to discover the mosteconomical mode of practically applying it on the largescale. The peculiar feature of Dr. Boucherie’s originalprocess consisted in the mode in which he availed him-self of the vital power of the tree; for, following up thesuggestions of Hales, Duhamel, and others, he arrived atthe conclusion that it is far easier to impregnate woodwith any desired solution when the plant is still full ofits own natural juices, and when freshly cut down, thanit is when tlie vessels have begun to contract, and a con-siderable portion of the natural humidity of the wood hasevaporated. In the first instance, indeed, he endeavouredto impregnate the wood of the tree whilst still in a grow-ing state, causing it to suck up various solutions, by meansof the absorbing power of the leaves themselves; a pro-cess which, however, for various practical reasons, hesubsequently abandoned: and, at the present time headopts a cheap, simple, and effective process for impreg-nating the felled timber with the preserving liquid,designated in France , “ trait de scie, et lacuisse foulante.”The trunk of the newly-felled tree is cut into a lengthsuitable for two railway sleepers ; it is then very nearlydivided across, just in the centre, by means of a saw, soas to form a channel, or small reservoir, in the very centreof the log, by means of which the preserving liquid maypass, right and left, towards either end; the opening ofthe saw-cut is then carefully closed all round, and a smallflexible tube being introduced into the upper part, servesto convey into the cut the preserving liquid, which, as itis laid on through the flexible tubes, under the pressureof a column of some feet in height, is rapidly disseminatedthroughout the entire substance of the wood. The pre-serving liquid which Dr. Boucherie employs, and whichfrom his numerous experiments he considers the best, is
a solution of sulphate of copper. When lie desires to in-crease the hardness of the wood, he uses a solution ofpyrolignite of iron; and when his object is to render itflexible, elastic, and at the same time incombustible, heemploys a solution of chloride of calcium. By the above-mentioned process, Dr. Boucherie has prepared manythousands of railway sleepers with sulphate of copper,and some which have been down on the Great NorthernRailway of France , for five years, are at the present timeperfectly sound; whilst similar ones, not prepared, whichhave been on the same line, are completely destroyed.The Jury, appreciating the very long and laborious, series of experiments made by Dr. Boucherie, and sa-tisfied with the successful issue to which lie has nowbrought them, awarded him a Prize Medal for the process.
Specimens of wood for sounding-boards of musicalinstruments are exhibited by J. Hensteii, of Lindberg,near Liusel, in Bavaria (76, p. 1101); these were deemedworthy of Honourable Mention.
A collection of woods, extremely well-selected andarranged, is exhibited by Professor Nordlinger, ofHohenheim, Stuttgard (4,11, pp. 114, 115). These speci-mens are exceedingly well prepared, so as to show allthe chief characters of each wood; though small, eachsample is left in the bark, and good microscopic sectionsaccompany each wood. As a small collection, it isadmirable, and the Jury accordingly awarded a PrizeMedal for it.
A comparatively small number only of Portuguese woods are exhibited; and with one exception, none ofthem are of very great importance. The Marquis de Loule(553—578, p. 1314), contributes a small collection of 24specimens, consisting of pine, plum, filbert, wild olive,chestnut, wild pine, elm, mulberry, olive, beech, ash,cherry, cypress, earib-wood, cork-tree, holm, poplar, oak,plantain, white acacia, walnut, orange, box, and crateegus.For these the Jury awarded a Prize Medal.
Other specimens of the ordinary woods are contributedfrom the Royal Arsenal, from the Ceira Forests, byA. P. F. Vaz (580, p. 1314), and by the Marquis ofFicalho (552, p. 1314).
Three specimens of wood from Angola and Goa areshown, namely, Tacula-wood from Angola , and teak-woodand sico-wood from Goa . The former, exhibited by theGovernor of Angola (590, 1S50, p. 1340), is a veryremarkably beautiful wood, and which may fairly becalled one of the most handsome cabinet-woods known.The Jury accordingly awarded a Prize Medal for thisspecimen.
A very small number only of Russian woods areshown; a good series of the chief timber trees of theGovernments of Grodno, Minsk, and Volhynia are ex-hibited by A. Kaufman x (117, p. 1370). For these theJury awarded a Prize Medal.
Specimens of Rhododendron-wood, and plane-tree wood