THE GREENHEART OF COMMERCE 



291 



forehead," but the logs are frequently defecti\'e and the 

 wood difficult to work. The logs are often slightly 

 checked and partly rotten along the pith or center, but 

 if the center is boxed it will not be considered a defect. 

 It is not attacked by white ants in the tropics, and, from 

 long experience, it is learned that the heartwood is proof 

 against the attacks of all marine borers and is superior 

 to every other wood, both in or out of the water. 



Differences in quality according to soil, situation, and 

 moisture are often observed. It is commonly claimed 

 that the greenheart from the region along the Demerara 

 River in British Guiana is superior to that from other 

 regions, or that from the basin of the Essequibo siu"- 

 passes the wood from all other sources. During the last 

 year or two a great deal has been said and written in 

 favor of the greenheart from Dutch Guiana, indicating 

 that it is of greater strength and endurance than that 

 from British Guiana. For these distinctions there is evi- 

 dently some foundation, but by no means to the extent 

 alleged. There may be a few logs of greenheart from 

 the Essequibo River region that are inferior in strength 

 and compactness of grain and texture to the general run 

 of logs from other sources, but this cannot be said as a 

 general thing. It is true that greenheart obtained from 

 the low, flat land is inferior in strength and durability 

 to that from the moist slopes in the interior above the 

 first cataracts. Indeed, the varying qualities of the green- 

 heart from different regions have long been well known to 

 practical men, but the Demerara and Essequibo greenheart 

 has been generally esteemed the best and always pre- 



years, and greenheart has since been the most popular 

 wood for permanent marine structures where durability 

 is highly desirable. Its value for marine works does 

 not consist merely in its durability ; another greater ad- 

 vantage is that the wood does not warp or twist after 



GRKKXIIEARI' I.ni.S .\T WI.SM.-\R, BRITISH GUIAXA 



ferred by the English dock builders. The Dutch Guiana 

 greenheart is not used extensively in England and .Amer- 

 ica, and very little is known here in regard to its lasting 

 and other qualities, but the wood has been used success- 

 fully in the Netherlands, and eventually will become an 

 important article of export. The bulk of the wood that 

 is now exported from Paramaribo is obtained from the 

 lowlands, and is probably slightly inferior to that from 

 the uplands in British Guiana. 



In British Guiana greenheart is commercially the best 

 known and most valuable wood. Large quantities have 

 been regularly exported to Europe for over a hundred 



FIFTY MILES UP RIVER LOADING GREENHEART 



This steamer is up the Demerara River, British Guiana, loading green- 

 heart for England. A great deal of the wood is taken out by water 

 in this way. 



it is thoroughly seasoned and put in place. A ship 

 planked with greenheart is at all times ready for service, 

 while boats constructed of most American woods often 

 warp and require caulking. Rated as a first-class wood 

 at Lloyds, it is used largely for all kinds of submerged 

 work, such as wharves, piles, docks, and lock gates. It 

 was used in the construction of Nansen's ship, the 

 Frani, and the good ship Discovery, of Antarctic 

 fame, was built of Demarara greenheart. The dock gates 

 in the Mercy harbor and the lock gates of the Manches- 

 ter Ship Canal were all built of this wood. The lock 

 gates of the Panama Canal were in part constructed of 

 greenheart from British Guiana, and it has been recom- 

 mended for the fenders, miter posts, sills, and quoins 

 of the dock gates at Balboa, and also for the keel blocks 

 in these two dry docks. One of the earliest uses of green- 

 heart in this country was for the manufacture of fish- 

 ing rods, and it is still considered one of the best woods 

 for this purpose. 



MAKING MAPLE SUGAR 



THE New York State College of Forestry is carrying 

 out experiments in the manufacture of maple 

 sugar on its Chittenango Forest Experiment Sta- 

 tion. The conditions under which this experiment is 

 being conducted will show, from a small number of trees, 

 the return which can be anticipated from a farm woodlot. 

 Very gratifying results have thus far been obtained and 

 the experiment will be continued for three years more. 



