118 



TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BULLETIN. [XX. 2. 3 6- 4, 



has been added giving the number of years each wood may be expected 

 to last when so used. It must be remembered that conditions under 

 which these timbers are used are so variable, that it is impossible to do 

 more than generalise, and in any case the list is only intended to serve 

 as a rough guide to those who think of employing local woods for 

 this purpose. 



Kind OF Wood. 



1 . Guatacre. Lecythis idatimon Aubl. 



2. Poui. Tecoma serratifolia Don 



3. Purpleheart. Peltogyne porphyrocardia Gr. 



4. Balata. Mimusops globosa Gaertn 



5. Red Mora. Dimorphandra Mora Benth & Hook 



6. Locust. Hymenaea Courbaril L. 



7. Tapana. Hieronyma caribcsa Urb. 

 F. Yoke. Piptadenia peregrina Benth 



9. Angclin. Andira inermis H.B.&. K. 



10. Monkeybone Lucuma sp..3 .. 



Years. 

 30 



10-15 

 10 



8 



8 



5? 



5? 



5? 



5? 



5 



Nothing Is known as to durability of Nos. 6 to 9 and these woods 

 are merely suggested as being possibly suitable. In every case it is 

 assumed that mature heartwood only will be used. 



The accompanying photograph shows the longitudinal sections 

 of five piles (four local woods and one imported) which were used in 

 the Pointe-a-Pierre pipe line viaduct and drawn after three years and 

 two months use, the results of the activities of the borers being plainly 

 evident in all. 



No. 1 is a centre section of a roundwood Monkeybone pile. The 

 bore holes, though scattered and not very numerous, have penetrated 

 right through both sap and heartwood. 



No. 2 is a section of a roundwood Guatacre {Lecythis idatimon 

 Aubl.) pile, the one hole shown is the deepest, being l^ inches in the 

 sapwood. In no case was the heartwood reached. Reasons for the 

 little damage done by borers in this wood have already been suggested. 

 This is the best wood in the Colony for piles and has the additional 

 advantage of being readily available in lengths up to forty, sometimes 

 fifty and occasionally perhaps sixty feet. Although somewhat subject 

 to end splits, it drives well and being long fibred is not so subject to 

 transverse fracture. It can be confidently expected to last thirty 

 years as a marine pile, and is claimed by some to outlast Greenheart. 



No. 3 is a centre section of a squared heartwood pile of Crappo 

 {Carapa guianensis Aubl.). This wood is too soft and is unsuitable in 

 every way for marine use. 



