In Hampshire[1] the wood is used for making whip-handles, and the tree is known there on that account as "whip-crop."
Mr. Weale, of Liverpool, reports as follows on a sample of this wood which I sent him:—"The wood is of a medium hardness, good length of fibre, and takes a clean finish. Not tough. Rays invisible on transverse section. Grain moderately close and even. Warps badly in drying, and is liable to split."
In a little book on English timber by "Acorn" (Rider and Son, London, 1904), I find the following note on the whitebeam, though the author does not notice either of the service trees:—"In a green state whitebeam has a strong smell, and even after seasoning this is retained to a certain extent. A great many handles for cutlery are made from it, and its hardness is admirably adapted for these, as it is capable of taking a very high polish from the extreme closeness of its grain. It is also used in the manufacture of musical instruments, and the tops and small pieces are always appreciated by the turner." As it is usually available only in small pieces, these would probably, when thoroughly seasoned, be very useful to introduce as blocks in parquet flooring.(H.J.E.)
- ↑ Townsend, Flora of Hampshire, 125 (1883).
