529. The cedar of Lebanon is a cone-bearing tree, and an evergreen; it is a native of Mount Libanus, whence it has its name. The finest cedars in the time of Vitruvius grew in Candia and Africa; and there were also some grown in Syria, but we do not know of what species.

It grows to a considerable size; the mean size of the trunk, according to Hassenfratz, is about 39 inches in diameter and 50 feet in length. Several very fine cedars have been produced in this country. The tree which furnished the specimens on which the author made his experiments was 34 inches in diameter; it was grown at Ditton Park, near Windsor.

The wood is said to be very durable in its native country. It is stated by Pliny that in the Temple of Apollo, at Uttica, cedar was found of nearly 1200 years old. According to Vitruvius, the statue of Diana, in the famous Temple at Ephesus, was of cedar, as well as the timber-work of the floor and ceiling of that edifice; and he further states, that the timber-work of the most celebrated temples of antiquity was in general executed in cedar, on account of its extreme durability. The cedar used for statues was most probably the oxycedrus (see Art. 531); but though Vitruvius describes the cedar as having a leaf like cypress, that used for beams, floors, and other parts of the temples, was most likely to be the Cedrus libani, as it does not appear that the other kinds are large enough for such purposes. Cedar of Lebanon was used by Solomon in the construction of the Temple at Jerusalem.

It has no perceptible large medullary rays, but when planed where it has been cut across the annual rings, the smaller rays present a very minute and beautiful dappled appearance. The general colour of cedar is a rich light-yellowish brown; the annual rings distinct, each ring consisting of two parts, the one part harder, darker coloured, and more compact than the other.

It is a resinous wood, and has a peculiar and powerful odour, with a slightly bitter taste, and is not subject to the worm. It is straight-grained, and easily worked, but readily splits.

The cohesive force of a square inch of cedar is 7400 lbs.; the weight of its modulus of elasticity for a square inch is 486,000 lbs., according to the author's experiments; and the weight of a cubic foot seasoned is from 30.5 to 38 lbs.

From these proportions it appears that it exceeds the oak in toughness, but is vastly inferior in stiffness and strength.