Box-wood is very valuable and is scarce in this country. Most of what we use comes from other lands. In France there is a large Box-wood forest near the village of St. Claude, and all the people in that village spend their days making the Box-wood into small articles, such as forks and spoons, and rosaries and snuff-boxes, for which they get a good deal of money. The wood is pale yellow, and may be cut into the finest pattern without breaking. For many years Box-wood has been used by engravers for making the blocks from which pictures and patterns are printed; the wood is so hard that these blocks can be used many, many times without the edges becoming worn.
Near London there grew a famous wood called Boxhill, and when the trees in that wood were cut down they were sold for ten thousand pounds.
PLATE XXIX
THE WALNUT
The Walnut tree (1) comes to us from sunny Italy and France, where it has grown for many centuries and is greatly prized. Its Latin name, Juglans, means the nut of Jove, and the Romans called it so because they thought the fruit was worthy to be set before their chief god Jove. It was brought to this country about five hundred years ago, and seems to have been grown in many districts until the beginning of last century, when there came a great demand for its wood. As much as six hundred pounds was given for a single Walnut tree, and at once all the people who had Walnut trees cut them down and sold them. This greatly reduced the number.
THE WALNUT
1. Walnut Tree2. Leaf Spray3. Bud4. Scar
5. Stamen Flower6. Seed Flowers7. Fruit
It is a large, handsome tree, which grows to a considerable height, and has a very thick trunk covered with grey bark. This trunk is smooth when the tree is young, but turns rugged as it grows older. The Walnut branches are large and spreading; they are sometimes twisted, but the tips of each branch always turn to the sky. For long it was thought to be dangerous to sleep beneath the shade of a Walnut tree, but for what reason I have not been able to discover.