14 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



Cigar Box Cedar Tree Grown on Upland 

 Soil. 



Logs of Cigar Box Cedui', Squared and 

 Ready for Shipment to Marlvet. 



highly esteemed by all cabinet makers. These are usually beautifully figured with spots and 

 mottles, curled and matted together. Very large burrs are sometimes procured from old trees 

 in the virgin forests of Cuba. The wood from the buttresses is often elegantly figured and it 

 seems remarkable that not mere cf it is used. 



This handsome fast-g; owing tree produces one of the finest timbers in the West Indies. 

 Cigar box cedar is strong, moderately tough, durable, works well, splits with difficulty and is 

 susceptible of a h igh polish which it retains indefinitely. The wood emits a distinct aromatic or 

 cedary odcr, which is true also of some other species of this important group of timber trees. 

 Cigar box cedar is said to be ^roof against the attack of white ants which are so destructive to 

 woods in the tropics. There are, however, no authoritative records showing that it is entirely 

 imnuuie to the ravages of these insects or to the teredo. All users of cedar, and writers on 

 timber seem to agree that the wood is very durable in contact with the soil and resists the 

 action of the weather. This quality of withstanding the action of the elements is due probably 

 to the presence of an essential oil in the wood, which is known in the trade as cedrela oil. 



Speaking about cigar box cedar in the West Indies, Cook and Collins* state that this pre- 

 cious wood of an agreeable odor is very lasting. It is heavier, more compact, and darker 

 colored than mahogany, which the variety called cedro macho much resembles; the 

 variety known as cedro hembra is much lighter, less compact and much lighter in 

 color. The first-named variety is used for furniture, carpenter work and the interior 

 of houses, and for the latter is preferred to mahogany, being softer and more easy to work, 

 also having the advantage of never being attacked by insects. It is used also for win- 

 dows, balconies, etc. The military authorities use if for boxes and powder vessels. This 

 softer variety is the kind that is generally preferred in making cigar boxes. The more compact 

 kind is used extensively as a mahogany substitute. 



It is not always easy to distinguish between the wood of cigar box cedar and true 

 mahogany. They are closely related botanically and in many respects are quite similar. 

 Those who have handled and worked both woods can usually tell them apart quite readily. 

 The odor of the cedar is perhaps the most reliable characteristics, but there is a community 



♦Economic Plants of Pcrto Rico, Washington, 1903. 



