HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



reach the Hawaiian markets, which are always well stocked with 

 material required by the sugar factories throughout the islands. 



The mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) which was introduced from the 

 L'nited States about seventy-five years ago has become thoroughly 

 naturalized and now forms the principal forest cover along the sea- 

 toast. This tree, which is known here as algoroba, serves a dual 

 purpose. It supplies splendid fuel for thousands of families, and the 

 pods are very valuable as food for stock. The tree does not attain 

 sufficient size to become valuable for its timber. The wood is used 

 chiefly for fuel, and sells at the plantations and in Honolulu for 

 $9 or $10 per cord. It lasts well in the ground and is, therefore, 

 used extensively for fence posts. 



Citron or yellow sandalwood (Santalum freycinetianum) and a 

 closely related species (Santalum pyrularium) , together furnished the 

 sandalwood of commerce from the Hawaiian Islands. These two 

 species, which are locally known as iliahi, were always cut and sold 

 indiscriminately. These two species form straight, handsome trees, 

 attaining an average height of twenty-five feet and a thickness of 

 about one foot at the base. Other less important species are reported 

 from the Hawaiian Islands, but they are mere shrubs growing along 

 the rocky shores or in inaccessible places. Of these Santalum JuileaJc- 

 alae is perhaps most abundant, but is commercially unimportant. 



The natives call all the sandalwoods ' ' lau ala, ' ' which means fragrant 

 wood, and they distinguish two different kinds, the "lau keokee" or 

 white sandalwood, and the "lau hulahula" or red sandalwood. The 

 tree itself is called "ilahi" or fire bark. 



Sandalwood has played an important part in the history of the 

 Hawaiian kingdom, as it was the first article of export which attracted 

 commerce to the islands and furnished revenue to the government. 

 Attention was first drawn in 1778 to the existence of sandalwood in 

 the Hawaiian Islands, and Captain Kendrick, of a Boston brig, is 

 known to have been the first man who contracted for several cargoes. 

 This marked the beginning of commerce with these islands. Of the 

 magnificent groves that formerly covered parts of the islands only a 

 few isolated trees remained after the first fifty or sixty years of 

 cutting, and in consequence of its extensive exploitation it soon 

 became necessary {o prevent the cutting of sandalwood trees. Since 

 then a good many have sprung up again in various localities, but 

 nowhere in sufficient numbers to warrant a revival of the trade. An 

 attempt was made at one time to re^-ive the trade of sandalwood by 

 substituting naihio, or naio (Myoporum sandwicense) , which is a 

 small tree yielding scented wood, but the spurious kind proved useful 

 only for planes. Efforts are now being made on the new forest 

 reserves of Hawaii to restore the groves of these valuable trees. 



's :;roiga^5aic;M^miTOi^!»iKTO3i^^ 



•^ The Wrong Uses of \A^ood 





It would seem 

 that there can be 

 no opposition to the 

 idea that the best 

 interests of every- 

 one are conserved 

 by the use of every 

 kind of wood for 

 the i> u r p s e to 

 which it is best 

 adapted. Some of 



the uses 

 are very 

 and only 

 number 

 in some 



of wood 



exacting 



a limited 



of kinds — 



instances 



BL.\CK LOCUST FENCE I'OSTS IN TEESTON CUUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA, 

 BE SOLD FOK WAGON HUB MATERIAL. 



only one or two — 

 possess the neces- 

 sary qualifications. 

 Thus for shuttles 

 only dogwood and 

 persimmon are con- 

 s i d e r e d good 

 enough; for ax han- 

 dles, buggy spokes 



and shafts hickory has no close competitor; for gunstocks black walnut 

 is still a favorite wood; for high-grade handsaw handles nothing is 

 ranked quite as high as apple wood; for tight cooperage white oak 

 holds the field alone. 



Some uses of wood demand great strength, others hardness, others 

 toughness, others durability, others lightness and others beauty of 

 figure and grain. There are, however, a considerable number of uses 

 that are not exacting and which can be filled almost as well by one 

 kind of wood as another. 



There is not a wood grown but has its uses, though, of course, 

 it is better fitted for some than for others. The haphazard policy 

 of the past has been to employ for any purpose the wood that was 

 most convenient with little reference to its special qualifications. If 

 more care were taken to learn the properties of each species a great 

 many species which are now sold in mixture for general dimension 

 stock and rough lumber would command a substantial price for 



special purposes. 

 The trend of the 

 present everywhere 

 is to specialize. "Why 

 should not this ap- 

 ply to woods? The 

 reason that some 

 kinds of lumber are 

 a drug on the mar- 

 ket is that they are 

 suffering from poor 

 reputations, and the 

 latter were secured 

 by the improper use 

 of the material. The 

 problem is to find 

 the particular niche 

 which a certain 

 ■wood will fill better 

 than some other, 

 and then make the 

 fact so widely 

 known that it will be 

 impossible to think 

 of the one without 

 thinking of the other. The recent success of tupelo, birch and 

 several other woods is due to the publicity that has been given their 

 good features. 



One does mot have te travel very far to find evidences of waste 

 due to the wrong use of wood. The use of good white oak for cross- 

 ties is one of the most common and extravagant abuses of our hard- 

 wood forests. There was a time when there was some excuse for 

 using such material, but with the increasing difficulty of supplying 

 the demands of the cooper and the possibility of using a large num- 

 ber of cheap woods for ties through the employment of preservatives, 

 such a condition no longer exists. The owner of the timber gets a 

 minimum price for his stumpage. The tie cutter barely makes a 

 living wage and the railroad has to pay more than the material is 

 worth. Not infrequently one hears of hickory and black walnut 

 being used for ties instead of filling the more exacting positions foe 

 which thev are fitted. 



WniCII COULD 



