26
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
field. It is only in exceptional instances, however, that species
can be distinguished in this way.
Our three native conifers may first claim attention. The
Juniper (Juniperus communis L.) is scarcely to be considered
as a timber tree, for it is often shrubby and when it does rise to
its full stature of 40 feet or so, its bole is often fluted. The wood
is sometimes used for fencing, a purpose which it serves well,
since it is extremely resistant both to fungal and insect attack.
All the same, so nice a wood, rich brown in colour, even and
fairly compact in texture, seems more fitted for less rough work.
If available in what may be called timber sizes, the wood is to be
treasured for lining wardrobes and clothes' chests, for it keeps
clothes' moths away. Straight grained timber, free from knots,
may be used for pencils, but for this purpose the wood of a
North American juniper (J. virginiana L.), the Pencil—or Vir-
ginian Cedar, is favoured. This is a larger tree than our native
species, attaining a height of 100 feet and a diameter of some
four feet. Pencil cedar timber unsuited to the exacting demands
of pencils, is used for fencing and railway sleepers and from the
shavings and sawdust is obtained the fragrant cedar oil, used in
microscopy and perfumery.
The Yew (Taxus baccata L.) produces some of the finest
softwood timber, a hard, heavy, close-textured wood weighing
as much as oak. Its sapwood is a rather dirty white colour,
the heartwood normally a rich reddish brown. Highly resistant
to decay, yew makes splendid fencing posts. It is also fire
resistant, but is rather liable to attack by the furniture beetle,
at least as far as its sapwood is concerned. Famous at one
time for the manufacture of the long bow, it is now used for
furniture and is an excellent timber for flooring and panelling.
Unfortunately the timber is not easy to obtain in large sizes, for
yew generally has a short and very irregular bole; this irregular
growth is often associated with an irregular grain, which produces
a highly decorative timber, while yew burrs are prized for their
beauty and are usually cut into veneers.
Our third native conifer, the Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)
produces one of the most widely used timbers in Europe—the
wood known as red deal, yellow deal, Baltic fir, Baltic redwood
and by a host of other names. The term "deal" was not
originally the name of the wood, but referred to a size of timber,
this size varying according to the country; as applied to Euro-
pean softwoods it generally means a piece nine inches wide
and three inches thick. The heartwood of red deal varies from
a pale brown to a reddish brown colour and is distinct from the
paler sapwood. In normal times immense quantities of this
wood are imported from Northern Europe. Its uses are legion—