Page:Timber and Timber Trees, Native and Foreign.djvu/227

 CHAPTER XXVII.

MISCELLANEOUS.

THE ALDER TREE (Altus glutinosa)

is a native of this country, and requires a good soil to bring it to perfection. It is generally found near to streams, rivers, and swampy places, where it attains a height of about 50 feet, with a circumference of from 2 to 4 feet.

The wood is reddish-white in colour, soft, and light, with a smooth, fine grain. It works up well, makes good clogs and soles for shoes, and is used in a variety of ways, but is of no great value to the. carpenter, except for the. making of packing-cases. It has been used for piles, pipes, sluices, &c., and is durable when kept wholly submerged; it is not now, however, much in request for these purposes, as the Elm timber is considered to be far preferable.

The wood of the stem is very plain, and only employed for minor services; but the roots and knots being often richly veined, are used by the turner and cabinet maker for the manufacture of small wares. The bark is used by dyers and tanners, and charcoal made from the wood is employed in the manufacture of gunpowder.