The best wood is, of course, dark and close grained. This generally
exists in trees that have one side decayed. It seems that the rot
stains the rest of the wood and nature makes the grain more compact to
compensate for the loss of structural strength. It is also apparent
that yew grown at high altitudes, over three thousand feet, is superior
to lowland yew.
In selecting a tree for a hunting bow, the stave must be at least six
feet long, free from limbs, knots, twists, pitch pockets, rot, small
sprouting twigs and corrugations. One will look over a hundred trees to
find one good bow stave; then he may find a half dozen excellent staves
in one tree.
There is no such thing as a perfect piece of yew, nor is there a
perfect bow; at least, I have never seen it. But there is a bow in
every yew tree if we but know how to get it out. That is the mystery of
bowmaking. It takes an artist, not an artisan.
Before one ever fells a tree, he should weigh the moral right to do so.
But yew trees are a gift from the gods, and grown only for bows. If you
are sure you see one good bow in a tree, cut it.
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