ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, V. V. 1–3
that of the lime; those are difficult which are hard and have many knots and a compact and twisted grain. The most difficult woods are those of aria (holm-oak) and oak, and the knotty parts of the fir and silver-fir. The softer part of any given tree is always better than the harder, since it is fleshier: and carpenters can thus at once mark the parts suitable for planks. Inferior iron tools can cut hard wood better than soft: for on soft wood tools lose their edge, as was said[1] in speaking of the lime, while hard woods[2] actually sharpen it: wherefore cobblers make their strops of wild pear.
Carpenters say that all woods have[3] a core, but that it is most plainly seen in the silver-fir, in which one can detect a sort of bark-like character in the rings. In olive box and such woods this is not so obvious; wherefore they say that box and olive[4] lack this tendency; for that these woods are less apt to 'draw' than any others. 'Drawing' is the closing in of the wood as the core is disturbed.[5] For since the core remains alive, it appears, for a long time, it is always removed from any article whatever made of this wood,[6] but especially from doors,[7] so that they may not warp[8]: and that is why the wood is split.[9]
It might seem strange that in 'round'[10] timber the core does no harm and so is left undisturbed, while in wood whose texture has been interfered with,[11] unless it is taken out altogether, it causes
- ↑ 5. 3. 3.
- ↑ τὰ σκληρὰ conj. Sch. from G (?); ταῦτα P2 Ald. H.
- ↑ ἔχειν conj. Sch.; ἔχει ᾗ Ald. H.
- ↑ ἐλάαν conj. Scal. from G; ἐλάτην Ald. H.
- ↑ i.e. and this happens less in woods which have little core.
- ↑ ἅμα (? = ὁμοίως) MSS.; αὐτὴν conj. W.
- ↑ θυρωμάτων conj. Sch.; γυρωμάτων Ald. cf. 4. 1. 2; Plin. 16. 225, abietem valvarum paginis aptissimam.
- ↑ ἀστραβῆ ᾖ conj. Dalec.; ἀστραβῆ UMV Ald.
- ↑ i.e. to extract the core.
- ↑ See below, § 5.
- ↑ παρακινηθεῖσι, i.e. by splitting or sawing. πελεκηθεῖσι conj. W.
