v‘ From ., ’-I»; » . ’
Sir,\.,~The_ [Director of the All my
Doubleday Research \ Associa n
asks’ (January 3)- for information
the.-.repellz_‘mt effect of chestnut woo
on insects. Perhaps when._he has
assembled evidence about England,
he might _care to exchange _infQ_r.-
gmation ‘with a French‘opposite
 ’ .
 Whilst gazing at several beautiful
 roofs in ' Aquitaine, I have been
 informed by host or guide that the
- timber _I was looking at was

rhfitaigne, the sweet chestnut,
g which, in additionto other qualities,
1.

   

 
 
 

repelled spiders; for example in
Montesquieu’s library in the Chi-
t teaude1aBrec_le.
_ Alas, the chestnut ‘ceiling put in
 for «me in that part of the ,-world,
whilst otherwise pleasing, is not

. spiderproof, despite the assurances‘

; of my carpenter.

fig Yoursfaithfully,
 PETER DAGNAI-.L,
; 16 Reckitt Road, W4.

From Miss C. J. Loasmore .
Sir, The‘s€héteatLo‘*f .sa&«-sun-Loire
contains a fine example of chestnut
._ ‘timber .work. (Sweet ,< chestnut;
' ‘“aceeit:ling..to Richard Wade in‘ the
’ Companion Guide to the Loire).
 e ‘Michelin guide to - the:
Loire says of Sully

‘u ;- .i>

          

 

_ S
—' be‘ ‘ kthatihas conic i°f“5
ii'?)1m.rtlYe' ‘Middle  Aner ‘fiflsxtllfi

s
i

 

     
 
 
 

the wood; of the chesmtfitslid the great.

‘care taken: by ‘carpenters in Ether 
.,"l'rees.aged 50 to 100 yearsvwere chosen,
barked standing and squared off, leaving
only the heart. The beams were then kept
under water for severalgyears to wash the.
pout of the wood, dried in» the open air:
r several years more, coated with’
dl _'nfectant and fmally'* assembled in
such a way that air could ‘circulate freely. ~
Yours ’ l _
.CH_ARLO _ “LOQSMORE,
33 rue de Rev1lly,- ’
75012 Pans.

   
 
 

Far festive fare _ 

/
From Mr A. M. T. Sanders 7/‘
Sir. My brother was less ‘Successful
in his conveyance. of-s'éasonal food-
to far-off places (Spectnim, Decem-C,
«be» .23 .and let1er,;,Jz'int_1ary 3).v’He
med to take’a haggis to Fiji for
Burns;¢1_ig§t,-— but while travelling
tl1roughA.nterica he had to. make a}
customs declaration. i
The customs ofl'1cial_ looked
bemused when he declared ‘a liaggis.
Rather than describe it,‘he produced‘-‘
11» 0 ‘ .!0—»be t9.1d’\=‘~1Y,Q!L£8n31=J?. 1...
1 into the *United States 0 '
America.”  
The haggis  tw 

L destruction. _ .
Yours.fahhffifl;'‘.‘’
A.
e cn-€9g§t,. raw
 K '-"H". ,_......_
St Andrews, Fife; -‘Q “

"'-5.‘.