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Available Foreign Hardwoods 



FcirRTII ARTICLE 

 COMMERCIAL HARDWOODS OF CEYLON 

 Editor's Note 

 Following is the fourtli o£ a series of articles on foreign hardwoods available for use in this country. 



The 



first article covered hardwoods available in the Central American countries ; the second covered hardwoods available 

 in South American countries: the third covered hardwoods of Africa and the Hfth will cover hardwoods of Burma 

 and India. 



Ceylon is an island of the Indian ocean separated from the penin- 

 sula of India by a strait known as the Gulf of Manaar. It has an 

 area of about 24,000 square miles, or a little larger than one-half the 

 size of the state of Pennsylvania. It is generally mountainous except 

 in the north, where the country is a wide plain. The population is 

 approximately 3,000,000, being dense only in the western portion, 

 and in the immediate vicinity of the forests themselves there is very 

 little demand for timber. The government has enormous quantities 

 of timber for which it can find no market locally. In most parts the 

 timber is ready for the axe, and repeated efforts have been made in 

 recent years to ascertain as to whether a trade in timber and fire- 

 wood could be opened with the ports on the Coromandel coast of 

 India, where the forests are not so extensive as on the Malabar 

 coast. 



The government of Ceylon has done a great deal of cruising or 

 stock-taking of its forest resources, and with this information in its 

 possession it is in a 

 position to inform 

 the prospective pur- 

 chaser what it has 

 to offer. The ques- 

 tion that has to be 

 answered is whether 

 the dealers in for- 

 eign woods in this 

 country can obtain 

 Ceylon timbers suffi- 

 ciently cheap to 

 handle them. It is 

 true that certain 

 classes of timber, 

 such as ebony and 

 satinwood, have been 

 introduced a num- 

 ber of years ago in- 

 to the American 

 markets from Cey- 

 lon and a well-es- 

 tabUshed trade has • 

 now been developed 

 for these woods. As 

 the consumption of 



woods is constantly increasing in this country, it is only natural to 

 suppose that these woods will continue to be shipped here and others 

 added to the list. There are a great nuiny other excellent woods in 

 Ceylon which possess special qualities, and a number of these will 

 eventually be introduced into our markets. Of course, the introduc- 

 tion of new timbers becomes harder as the available kinds iucrease, 

 and often very good woods stand little chance so long as the better 

 known kinds can be procured in quantities sufficiently large to sup- 

 ply the demand. Beyond the favorite woods which will have an 

 e3rtensive use, there are many varieties which may be introduced for 

 special purposes with a restricted sale. Even inferior woods may, 

 with the aid of assiduous advertisement, slowly take their place in 

 the list of commercial timbers. 



Among the woods which are most abundant in Ceylon and possess 

 the requisite properties to be classed with other staple timbers of 

 commerce are the following: 



Satinwood (CMoroxylon sioietenia) is one of the most abundant 

 and best known woods of Ceylon. It is found in the northern and 

 southern, but chiefly in the eastern districts, where it attains a fairly 

 large size and is highly esteemed, being next to cal.nmandor wood in 



— mo- 



vable. It is well known iu India also, and some of the finest satinwood 

 logs to be found anywhere are obtained iu the hills of southern Ind:a. 

 The wood is very close-grained, hard, heavy, (about fifty-six pounds 

 per "cubic foot), strong, tough, and very durable, but it is said to be 

 liable to contract and expand with the weather. It is light yellow, 

 resembling the West Indian satinwood, takes a very good polish, and 

 is suited for all kinds of ornamental purposes, but is somewhat apt 

 to split. Some of the logs are flowered or feathered, and when 

 polished the wood is very beautiful. While the wood is excellent 

 for pieces of agricultural implements, it is too expensive, and is now 

 imported chiefly from England in small quantities for special articles 

 of ornamental work. It makes very beautiful walking sticks. 



Chittagong wood (Chiclrassia tal)ularis) is a tall tiee often from 

 sixty to eighty feet to the first branches and sometimes nearly three 

 feet in diameter. The wood has been imported into England for 

 some years, where it is used in making furniture. The wood is ex- 

 ploited in parts of 

 India, where it 

 passes currently un- 

 der the general name 

 of cedar and bastard 

 cedar. It is so- 

 called because the 

 wood has a cedar- 

 like odor. The wood 

 is light colored, 

 close-grained, and 

 elegantly veined, but 

 is apt to warp dur- 

 ing the season of 

 hot land winds in 

 the tropics. It is 

 moderately hard, 

 rather light in 

 weight (about twen- 

 ty-eight pounds per 

 cubic foot), strong, 

 tough, very durable, 

 and takes a very 

 good polish, having 

 a satiny lustre. This 

 wood was used in the 

 ))alace of one of the Kandyau kings, and is said to have lasted for 

 several hundred years. 



Trincomalee {Bcrrya ammonUla) is considered one of the most 

 important timber trees in the island, and the wood is exported in 

 large quantities to India, where this species is not found. The wood 

 resembles the ash in color and is highly esteemed for its lightness, 

 strengtli, and toughness, and is, therefore, the most useful wood in 

 Ceylon for naval purposes. The tree grows straight from twenty to 

 forty feet and from one to three feet in diameter, and can be 

 obtained in sufficient size for all purposes. It is considered superior 

 to any other wood for capstan bars, cross and trussel trees, cask 

 staves, battens for yards, fishes for masts, and for boat-building; it 

 is also employed for carts, wagons, and housebuilding, and is the 

 best wood for oil casks. 



Tulip tree {Thcspcsio popuhtca) is the best known tree of the 

 island. It grows naturally along the seashore, where the trees attain 

 a height of from fifty to sixty feet. It is planted very extensively 

 for avenues and shade generally. It yields, when mature, very strong, 

 hard, heavy, durable timber, with a color like mahogany. This ex- 

 cellent wood is used for chairs, gunstocks, felloes, naves, panels of 



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