'4
more are daily pouring in. Even in the north of Ireland it is fpringing up like the Larch in open feed-beds ;
and we fhall foon fee this noble timber tree quoted in the nurferymen's lifts at the price of the worthlefs
though magnificent Cedar of Lebanon" {Gard. Ckron., 1841).
The prophecy thus made came true enough ; * but the inference contained in the laft lines, that the
Deodar is fo much a nobler and more valuable tree than the Cedar, has not been wholly borne out. For
fome years the faith in the fuperior properties of the Deodar continued unchallenged ; but about 1853 or
1854 a whifper began to fpread abroad that perhaps we had been too hafty in taking for granted the accounts
of its excellences ; that it would be a fad miftake if we fhould neglect the growth of the Oak for it in the Royal
Forefts, and it fliould afterwards turn out not to anfwer—a miftake which might be difcovered not by us,
but by our defendants, when the Oak forefts had difappeared, and been replaced by Deodars. We do not
know who firft founded the note of alarm. Mr Strickland of Hildenley is one of the firft whom we find
gently fuggefting, in the periodicals of the day, the poffibility of the tree being lefs fuitable than was
thought; but the importance of the queftion was inftinctively recognifed, and thofe who believed in its
fuperiority, and had recommended its cultivation, preffed forward to vindicate their opinion. Numerous
papers from various pens appeared in the horticultural periodicals of the day, in which the queftion was
ably difcufled ; and a Report was made to the Commiflioners of Woods and Forefts by Dr Royle, who was
a zealous advocate for the Deodar, and appears to have ftrongly recommended its being planted on a large
fcale by the Commiffioners. In that Report (publifhed in 1853) he accumulated all the evidence of its
value which could be obtained from books or men familiar with the tree in its native country. He caufed
the large planks already mentioned to be fent to this country, and exhibited them at a meeting of the
Horticultural Society, and afterwards got Mr Wilfon Saunders and other members of Lloyd's to examine
them, and obtained a favourable report from them. Their examination, however, appears to have been confined
to ocular infpection, without any comparative trials of ftrength. " It appeared, they faid, to be fuperior
to common Larch." The maffive dimenfions of thefe planks feemed to have impofed on every one, taking
their fenfe captive. " No one converfant with fuch fubjects could look at the huge fpecimen without
recognifing in it a defcription of timber ranking among the higheft of its clafs" [Gard. Chron., 25th Feb.
1854). They fhewed fuch a goodly outfide, that no further examination or teft feems to have been thought
neceffary, at leaft none is recorded ; and if any had been made, it is not likely that it would have been paffed
in filence, efpecially as we have now ftrong reafons for thinking that, if it had been made, it muft have fhaken
the faith of the experimenter, and modified the affured tone of his opinion. Moft of this evidence will
be found recapitulated in our remarks on the properties and ufes of the tree. It feemed to convince the
public at the time; at leaft, the difcuffion ended, leaving the believers in the virtues of the Deodar apparently
mafters of the field. Notwithftanding this, the doubts caft upon it were not wholly eradicated ; a feeling of
diftruft furvived, and botanifts and the public, although their mouths were fliut by the cafes quoted and
arguments ufed, referved their judgment. Data for determining the point were wanting. The timber might
be all that could be wifhed in its native country, and yet the change to this climate might have a deteriorating
effect upon it, which might render trees grown here not fitted for our purpofes. American trees
feldom acquire in this country the excellence they poffefs in their native land. We poffefs neither the heat
in fummer neceffary to ripen the wood, nor the cold in winter to give it fufficient repofe. Nay, more;
analogy was drawn from the Cedar of Lebanon, which is faid to be of great excellence on the Syrian
mountains, while it is perifhable and valuelefs with us. The Scotch Pine and the Pinafter are nearly
related, but the one is much more valuable than the other. Even in the native country of the Deodar it
might only be the timber of very old trees, or of trees grown under peculiar conditions of foil or climate,
which poffeffed the valuable properties afcribed to it. And yet, again, it might be that the properties for
which it is fo much valued in its native habitat, might not be exactly thofe which are wanted for our fervice
in
* Loudon, in his Arboretum (1838), quotes die plants as being fold at two guineas. In 1854 they could be had at fixpence a-piece.
CEDRUS DEODARA.
in this country. It will prefently be feen that thefe mifgivings were not without foundation. Although
further corroborative experiments are ftill needed to put the matter beyond difputc, there appears little
reafon to doubt, that although the Deodar muft always rank high for many excellent qualities, efpecially for
beauty, durability, and general ufefulnefs, and much before the Cedar in regard to ftrength, it cannot be
reckoned a firft-clafs timber.
Properties and U/es.—Of all the properties afcribed to this tree, there is none which is better authenticated
than the durability of its timber. Kyanifed by the hand of nature, it defies wind and weather, refifting
the foaking rains of the Himmalaya Mountains for ages. Rot under any afpect is unknown to it. It
would be tedious to accumulate evidence of the fact that, throughout all the diftricts where it grows, it is
largely employed in the conftruction of houfcs, temples, and bridges; and very generally their buildings are
conftruaed on a plan which, although moft trying to timber, is well calculated to shew how capable the
Deodar is of bearing all the viciffitudes of a moft variable climate. It is ufed not only as timber is
commonly ufed, under cover, but for verandahs and roofs, as well as for the external framework of houfes.
This framework is firft made, and then the interftices between the timbers are filled up either with hewn
or unhewn ftones, fo that the wood is expofed as much as the ftone, as well to the influence of wet as to
cold and drought. Moorcroft mentions that, in his time, a building erected by the Emperor Akbar was
taken down, and its timber, which was that of the Deodar, was found to be fo little impaired as to be fit
to be employed in a houfe built by Rajah Shah. Its age, it was calculated, could not be lefs than 225
years. In a building, which had a dome of excellent brick-and-mortar work, in which was buried the
mother of a fovereign who began to reign in 1417, and died in 1473, pieces of Deodar were let into the
walls, and their ends or fides were left on the fame plane with the brickwork. This wood, although fo
much expofed to the influence of the weather, was neither crumbly nor worm-eaten, but was jagged, from
the fofter part of the annular rings having been often waflied by the rain. {Moorcroft's Journal, quoted in
Lambert's Genus Piims.)
In the walls of old temples, now levelled nearly to their foundations, the timbers of the Deodar arc to
be feen, the furface bleached and ragged, but the body of the wood undecayed, and emitting its characteriftic
odour as frefli as ever. In Caftimere, the very tall pillars which fupport the roof of the Jumna Mufjid
or Great Mofque, built by Aurungzebe in the days of our later I-Ienrys, are formed of Deodar trees
denuded of their bark. They exhibit not a crack or veftige of decay, either from expofure, rot, or infetfs.
and ftill frneil like pencil wood.
Major Madden writes, " In the walls of temples in Kunawar, beams were pointed out to me (hewing
no figns of decay, except being a little charred and blackened on the furface by the affion of the fun and
weather ; and thefe temples were faid to have been built from 600 to 800 years ago. This is probably an
exaggeration; but Captain P. Gerard lived in a houfe, afcertaincd to be 200 years old, at Summerkot,
between Rooroo and Bampore, the property of the BifTehur Rajah, in which the timber was as found
as the day it was cut. It is in great requeft for the walls and roofs of temples and houfes, and for
granaries, chefts, and other purpofes, where the ravages of infers, &c., are apprehended,"
The bridges in the countries of the Deodar are wooden ftruiSlires, formed of Deodar timbers overlapping
each other until they meet in the centre; the other ends being fteadied by being funk into the
banks and kept down by great weights. In Calhmere the Deodar is alfo employed for making the piers
on which the archcs of the bridges ftand, as well as for building houfes and mofques. Pieces of its timber
from the Tem-al-Kudal bridge (over the Jhelum) were found little decayed, although they had been
expofed to the adtion of water for 400 years.—{Moorcmft's Travels.) Dr Royle quotes a letter from
Colonel Tait, C.B., in which he fays, "When in Cafhmere, I found the bridges over the river
Jhelum, at the town of Terrie Nuggur (the old capital) built entirely of Deodar. Even the piers
on which the arches reft are compofed of large blocks of this wood: and from the conflant rifing
and falling of the river, they mufl be expofed alternately to the aflion of water and to the burning
[ 9 1 K heat