430 FOX WORTHY. 



MAHOGANY. 



True mahogany doea not occur m nature in die Orient. It is the 

 product of 8wiet«nia mahagoni L and is found only in tropical America. 



It was introduced into Europe by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century. 

 Since the middle of the eighteenth century it has been the most used and 

 valued of cabinet woods. The much prized Chippendale and Sheraton 

 chairs of the eighteenth century were made of this wood. The continual 

 demand for this wood for piano eases, fine furniture, cabinet work, etc., 

 has caused it to become scarce and high in price, and efforts have been 



made to substitute other woods for it. More than twenty substitute or 

 imitation mahoganies are known, and some of them are such good woods 

 thai they could probably secure a good market under their own proper 

 names. The true mahogany and the closely related Swietcnia macro- 

 phylla King have done well in plantations in India (Gamb. 154). 

 ^ ouhg trees of both have also shown a fine rate of growth wherever tried 

 in the Philippines. It is not improbable that these two species may 



some day be of commercial importance as plantation crops in ibis part of 

 the world. 



The best of the substitute mahoganies belong to the subfamily 

 Sirir/mioidnr. the "mahogany subfamily" of the Meliacea. The follow- 

 ing members of this subfamily are worthy of note: 



Khaya aenegolenma A. .hiss. [Swie tenia amegalentii Deav.). Thia is called 

 African mahogany and has supplied a large part of the mahogany on the 



European and American markets tor the Last twenty years (Kew Bull. Misc. 



Inf. 1890, KiS-170). Other species are ako called African mahogany. The 



wood is lighter j„ ooio,. tha,, til ,, original mahogany and is also inferior to 



that wood in hardness and .main. However, it is very variable and pieces 



are found which are darker reddish -brown than the true mahogany. 

 Boymida febrifuga A. Juss. {Stdetenia febrifuga Willd.), found in British 

 India and Ceylon, known as Kasl Indian mahogany. This is a very hard 



and very heavy wood, heavier than true mahogany and dark-red in color. 



It would l»> of great commercial importance if it could be produced in 

 sufficient quantity. 



Ghukraasia (Ohiohraeeia) tabular* A. Juss. [Bioietema ohiokrataia Roxb.). 

 Batt Indian, mahogany or Chittogong icood.— British India and Ceylon] 

 Burma and southern China. This is not so bard nor so heavy as the 

 preceding. It would probably be of importance if found in greater quantity. 



In the subfamily Cedreloidea of the Meliacea, there are a number of 

 species in the genera Cedrela, of the West indies, and Toona, of the East 

 Indies, which produce odorous wood known as cedar and sometimes 

 called mahogany. The toon of India. Toona scrrata (Royle) Roemer, 

 is sometimes called Indian mahogany and the calanlas. To OVA calatUas 

 Merr. & Rolfe, of the Philippine Islands, has sometimes been called 

 Philippine mahogany. They are more often and more correctly known 

 as cigar-box woods. 



Besides those already mentioned, there are in the Kast several so- 



