Yet no tree so well merits cultivation--though its growth be slow. It
is an unique among timber, and combines qualities which are not found
existing together in any other. It is as close and as heavy as ebony;
not very much softer than _lignumvitae_; it cuts better than any other
wood; and when an edge is made of the ends of the fibres, it stands
better than lead or tin, nay almost as well as brass. Like holly, the
box is very retentive of its sap, and warps when not properly dried,
though when sufficiently seasoned it stands well. Hence, for the
wooden part of the finer tools, for every thing that requires
strength, beauty, and polish in timber, there is nothing equal to it.
There is one purpose for which box, and box alone, is properly
adapted, and that is the forming of wood-cuts, for scientific or other
illustrations in books. These reduce the price considerably in the
first engraving, and also in the printing; while the wood-cut in box
admits of as high and sharp a finish as any metal, and takes the ink
much better. It is remarkably durable too; for, if the cut be not
exposed to alternate moisture or heat, so as to warp or crush it, the
number of thousands that it will print is almost incredible. England
is the country where this economical mode of illustration is performed
in the greatest perfection; and just when a constant demand for box
was thus created, the trees available for the purpose had vanished
from the island.


_Mahogany_


Is of universal use for furniture, from the common tables of a village
inn to the splendid cabinets of a regal palace. But the general adoption
of this wood renders a nice selection necessary for those articles which