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 from the Rhyndakos, fourth that of the country of the Ainianes, worst is that of Parnassus and that of Euboea, for it is full of knots and rough and quickly rots. As to Arcadian timber the case is doubtful. The strongest wood is that which is without knots and smooth, and it is also the fairest in appearance. Wood becomes knotty when it has been ill nourished and has suffered severely whether from winter or some such cause; for in general a knotty habit is supposed to indicate lack of nourishment. When however, after being ill nourished, the tree recovers and becomes vigorous, the result is that the knots are absorbed by the growth which now covers them; for the tree, being now well fed and growing vigorously, recovers, and often the wood is smooth outside, though when split it is seen to have knots. And this is why they examine the core of wood that has been split; for, if this contains knots, the outward parts will also be knotty, and these knots are harder to deal with than the outer ones, and are easily recognised.

'Coiling' of the wood is also due to winter or ill nourishment. Wood is said to 'coil' when there is in it closer twisting than usual, made up of an unusual number of rings: this is not quite like a knot, nor is it like the ordinary curling of the wood, which runs right through it and is uniform. 'Coiling' is much more troublesome and difficult to deal with than knots; it seems to correspond to the so-called