WOOD SCENTS. * * * *
A surprising quality in some of the Australian woods is its scent.. Not cedar itself is more distinctive than the quaint rather small tree known locally as " raspberry jam." The scent is the exact and precise scent of raspberry jam. Blindfold you would not be able to tell the difference ; and to my knowledge a small square of the wood has retained the queer odour for years. Fashion at the moment favours light woods rather than dark. Oak that used to be stained or oiled (a much better method) till it was almost black is now, not seldom, treated with lime till it is bleached, and very attractive it may be. This trend to woods of a lighter tint has helped to give new value to the sycamore, which would probably be as lucrative a tree to plant as any (save cricket-bat willow). It has peculiar virtues. To the man with an axe or a saw it is the softest of wood. The instru- ments slip into its texture with delightful ease, and a long trunk may be split from end to end by the axe without aid from a wedge. Yet one of the reasons for the growing value of sycamore is its enduring hardness, when shaped for household use. What more could be asked of any wood ? * * * *
Previous page
