34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Mississi]>pi river. The railroads have, siuee about the middle of 

 October, refused to issue through bills on export shipments of hard- 

 wood lumber on the plea that they were charged with demurrage 

 by the steamship companies and on the additional plea that this was 

 Iche only way of avoiding congestion in New Orleans. This matter 

 iis being handled through the petition filed with the Interstate Com- 

 imerce CommLssiou in the name of the Anderson-Tully Company of 

 :this city. 



There will be a hearing in Memphis Deceni'ber 13-14, in connection 

 Tvitli estimated weights on hardwood lumber shipments and the Lum- 

 Ibemien's Traffic Bureau, as well as members of the lumber fraternity 

 here, are very busy prejjaring the necessary data. It is charged by 

 the lumber companies that the railroads are ::omewhat arbitrary in 

 fixing estimated weights on hardwood lumber shipnrents and that 

 shippers have had to suffer considerable financial loss as a result of 

 the weights in vogue. 



Announcement has been received from the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission at Washington that the proposed advances from Mem- 

 phis and the Memj^his territory to New Orleans and the other ports, 

 as well as to practically all destinations in this country, have been 

 suspended, pending a hearing of the arguments of the lumbermen. 

 It is not known just what length of tinK will be allowed, but the 

 action of the Interstate Commerce Commission insures that these ad- 

 vances will not be allowed to become effective, if at all, before the 



luniberuuMi have had an opportunity of presenting their side of the 

 controversy. The Lumbermen 's Traffic Bureau is rapidly completing 

 the necessary data to be used in filing these hearings before the Inter- 

 state Commerce Commission and it is anticipated that victory will 

 result for the shippers. Som'e of the advances have been attempted 

 by the railroads iit this territory before, but have been overruled by 

 the Interstate Commerce Commission on the ground that they were 

 both unreasonable and unjustifiable. An effort will also be made to 

 show that discrimination is being practiced against lumber shippers 

 operating in the Memphis territory in the respect that the new rates 

 will put Memphis out of line with other cities, with which it has 

 to compete. 



The car situation has shown some further improvement in the 

 Memphis territory recently and the outlook is considered reasonably 

 good. There is still a shortage of ears at some points in Arkansas 

 and Mississippi and the movement of both timber and lumber is 

 restricted on this account. As a general rule, however, it may be 

 said that conditions are getting better and after the first of the year 

 it ought to be possible to secure a larger share of full requirements. 

 This statement is based on the fact that the cotton movement will 

 have passed its climax by that time and that a great deal of the 

 equipment of the southern roads which went to the North and West 

 to aid in the movement of the grain crops is returning to the lines 

 which own them. 



' V,,\:i2C;iamMJ^TO<W<^TOMi>^t^;iTOroi^ ^ 



Commercial Foreign W^oods 



THE TULIP WOODS 



The Indian or seaside tulip wood {Thespesia populnea-Jjam.) is a 

 common tree along the shores of nearly all tropical countries. While 

 it grows abundantly in Cuba and Jamaica, it is still more plentiful 

 in West Africa, where the tree attains a height of forty or fifty feet. 

 It is also found in commercial quantities in India and in the islands 

 of the Pacific ocean. The wood is considered almost indestructible 

 under water and is therefore used, for boat building. Its hardness, 

 toughness and durability render it valuable for cabinet making, 

 spokes, carriage building, carving, and building purposes. In Ceylon 

 it is employed for gun stocks. The use of this wood is limited, how- 

 ever, from the difficulty of getting it of large size. In India the 

 young trees are cut for use as rafters for houses, and generally com- 

 mand a good price when sold for this purpose. The wood is dark red, 

 resembling some grades of mahogany, but it is very variable in this 

 respect. 



In the West Indies this tree grows very rapidly and produces a 

 splendid shade. It is variously known as santa maria, palo de 

 jaqueea, and majuquilla. Its inner bark yields a valuable, tough 

 fiber, which is used for making rope. This fiber is used in Demarara, 

 British Guiana, for making coffee bags, and the finer pieces of it 

 for cigar envelopes. 



Brazilian tulip wood (Phy.socaJi/mma scaberrimnm Pohl.) is a 

 South American tree that is used for inlaying, brush backs, tool han- 

 dles, and small turned articles, but is now becoming very scarce. The 

 logs are sold ehiefiy in the English markets and are cut and trimmed 

 in about the same wa.y purple heart (Copaifera piiliiflora-'Bentb.) of 

 British Guiana is prepared. The wood is very wasteful and splintery. 

 It is rose-colored and beautifully figured, with darker colored lines. 

 WhUe this wood is very handsome, it is said to fade on long exposure 

 to the air and light. 



French tulip wood, which has not been determined botanically, re- 

 motely resembles a variegated cedar wood (Juniperus) . It has a 

 much straighter and closer grain and is softer than the Brazilian 

 tulip wood. The longitudinal orange-red streaks are well defined and 

 render the wood very beautiful. It is said to be an excellent furni- 

 ture and turnery wood. 



Australian tulip wood (Harpullia pe-iidulaPianch.) is a lofty tree 

 with a stem of from eighteen to twenty-four inches in diameter. It 

 is the best Australian wood for lithographer 's scrapers and engrav- 



ing. The beautiful dark and yellow colored lines render this woo<l 

 very costly and suitable for ornamental work. In this respect it 

 resembles the Brazilian tulip wood. 



Another tulip wood from northeastern Australia is the Stenocarpa 

 sirtKa/«s-Endl., which supplies beautifully marked, close-grained, hard, 

 and very durable wood susceptible to good polish. It is used largely 

 for staves and veneers. 



A less important tulip wood from Australia is the Lagunaria pater- 

 soHi-Don. This tree yields a very close-grained wood used princi- 

 pally for building purposes. 



In the Philippine islands is a tulip wood known to botanists as 

 Aplmnanihe phiHppineims-F\anQ.h. This tree produces a light-colored 

 wood, resembling our white elm and has nearly similar uses. 



Owenia renosa-F. Muell. from Australia is also sometimes called 

 tulip wood, but it is a mahogany-like wood and is used chiefly for 

 making furniture. 



LIGNUM-VITAE 



Lignum-vitae {Guayacan offk'inale) is a tree which usually attains 

 a height of from fifteen to twenty-five feet and a diameter of about 

 eighteen inches four feet from the ground. It is found in Mexico, 

 Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, Guianas, and on all the 

 islands of the West Indies. In Mexico and Central America this tree 

 attains its best development and often grows to the height of from 

 forty to sixty feet and nearly two feet in diameter. The wood is 

 exceedingly close and cross-grained, hard (about seventy-six pounds 

 per cubic foot), of a rich greenish brown color, and often prettily 

 marked, looking very well when polished. It is often used for 

 making furniture, ship-blocks, p>estles, mortars, rulers, heads of 

 croquet mallets, and string-boxes and machine-bearings. It is pref- 

 erable to metal for the latter uses. The wood is very durable and 

 this quality coupled with its extreme strength and hardness renders 

 it one of the most valuable woods of tropical America. Enormous 

 quantities of this wood are now being used annually for bearings, 

 etc., and the supply is becoming limited and the price consequently 

 very high. 



Guayacan officinale does not grow in the United States, but 

 Guayacan sanctum., a closely allied tree, is found on the keys of 

 southern Florida and in Texas, where it occurs too sparingly to be 

 commercially important. It sometimes grows to be thirty feet in 



