242 



dyer's standpoint, in yielding little or no hematoxylin, but, instead, 

 a yellowish-green pigment which is of no value and which, when 

 admixed with the commercial extract, reduces the characteristic 

 tinctorial properties of the latter. Chips of the " bastard" logwood 

 present a yellow, pale pink, white or even chocolate-coloured 

 surface instead of the dark red or deep purple, bronze-tinted colour 

 of the best Jamaican or Mexican logwoods of commerce. There 

 appears to be considerable uncertainty, even when the trees are 

 cut down, as to whether a tree is really a "mulatto" ("bastard") 

 tree or not. What is known as a " mulatto" tree is frequently 

 dark enough when first cut to lead one to believe that it is a good 

 redwood tree, but instead of darkening with age as all the good 

 wood does, it remains the same colour or becomes lighter rather 

 than darker. The " bastard" tree seems to be perfectly dry, and 

 even when the chips are soaked for a longtime in water, they give 

 out no dye.* 



Various theories have been advanced to explain the apparent 

 increase in the " bastard" logwood in Jamaica. Professor F. S. 

 Earle, after a thorough study of the situation in Jamaica, came to 

 the following conclusions :t 



1. "Logwood is a variable plant showing marked differences in 

 form, colour and texture of leaf ; time of blooming ; form and extent 

 of ribs on the trunk ; colour of bark and especially in the colour and 

 dye-producing quality of the heart-wood. Four well-marked varie- 

 ties are said to be recognized in Honduras and three are usually re- 

 cognized in Jamaica, but there are many other intermediate forms." 



2. "Bastard" wood is not the result of disease or of any lack of 

 vigour. The trees producing it are perfectly healthy and normal. 



3. " It is not the result of soil or climatic conditions, since 

 ' bastard' and normal trees are found growing side by side under 

 absolutely identical conditions." 



4. "It is not the result of immaturity. Aged trees may produce 

 'bastard' wood, while in normal trees the heart-wood, as soon as 

 formed, contains a good percentage of hematoxylin. These facts 

 seem to point to ' heredity as the probable cause of the trouble. 

 That is, that certain trees produce ordy ' bastard' wood because 

 they grow from the seed of a ' bastard' tree ; or in other words 

 that ' bastard' logwood represents a variety of Haematoxylon 

 campechiauimi that normally produces little or no hematoxylin, just 

 as one Honduras variety has smaller, shorter, thinner and lighter 

 coloured leaves." 



Some time before Professor Earle made his investigations in 

 Jamaica we began, at Dr. MacDougal's suggestion, a comparative 

 study of logwoods from that island, in the hope of finding definite 

 chemical differences, other than purely tinctorial ones, between 

 »' red logwood" and the " bastard" variety. Unfortunately our 



*Cradwick: Report to the Chairmau of the Experiment Station. Kingston, Jamaica 

 1902 (April 4.) 



t Earle: Journal of the New York I'.otanical Garden. 4 : .'^, 1903; reprinted in Bulletin 

 of the Department of Agriculture, Jamdca, 1 : 30. 1903. 



