26 



HARDWOOD RECOKU 



June ;>S, lUl.'. 



supply, in the same way that the cake of soap and the fresh towels 

 are furnislied daily to each room. No one seems to have figured 

 out yet what is to become of the comb after its one day's service. 

 As far us wearing out is concerned, it ought to last a year. 



The hotel ki-epem h»iK> thai giicsis will carry the daily coiiili away 

 and lnvp it as a sort of souvenir. With lliiil idea in mind, it is 

 proposed to print a neat advertisement of the holel on the cond), 

 which would tiius become an advertisement for the holel. The trav 

 eler on Ioiij; journe\-s, who saved Iht coailis, would a.'cumulale a good 



sized grip full in a few mouths. Hut time alone will tell what 

 will happen along that line. The nuinufacturer will lie interested 

 chiedy in nuiking the combs, no matter what becomes of them later. 



There is no reason to suppose that alder is tlie only wood in the 

 country suitable for combs. Reecii, birch and maple are ri^'oni- 

 mended by their qualities, but it is said that the extreme hardness 

 of these woods is (dijectionalilc, \)ecause Ihe comb's teeth receive 

 such sharp points thai they scracth the head of the comber some 

 what unpleasantly. 



^ ^XSi:^v.-.^:w.\',V.y^.'i^'- ^-.--.'^^^ 



What is Snakewood? 



Siiakcwoo.l IS :i ii:iiiii' api'hiM to :i mjiiiini nl u.mmis. liul Ui< lo i> 

 none other so important nor so well-known as that of British Guiana. 

 It is called bourracourra by the natives who used the wood e.\- 

 tcnsivcly from the earliest times for making their bows. The early 

 travelers in South America frequently mentioned and described in 

 their accounts the powerful snakewood bows used by the Indians. 

 The name snakewood was given to the wood by the English, because 

 the heartwood of this tree resembles the skin of some of the highly 

 colored snakes. It also received the trade name leopard-wood, because 

 of its irregular dark-colored spots which are so conspicuous on a 

 highly polished surface. The French call it bois dcUUres, on account 

 of its irregular dark spots which bear a fancied resemblance to the 

 letters of the alphabet. From this name the English coined the word 

 letterword, and the Dutch letterhout. The French also refer to 

 it under the less familiar names Icttre mouchctc or bois d'amoureties 

 mouchele. In Darian and San Bias country of Panama it is known .as 

 casique care and also as guaimaro. 



The botanical name of this tree is Brosimuti aubletii. The tree 

 was first described in 1775 by the distinguished botanical explorer 

 Aublet, who named it Piratinera guianensis. The generic name was 

 an attempt to latinize piratiiiinere, the old Indian name of the tree 

 It was found later that this species belonged to the previously 

 described genus Brosimum and was, therefore, referred to this group 

 and the specific name changed to aubletii in honor of the celebrated 

 discoverer Aublet. 



Snakewood is a rare tree of variable dimensions. It often attains 

 a height of from seventy-five to eighty-five feet, and varies fron; 

 two to three feet in diameter near the base. It is found in moist 

 forests and is distributed from the Isthmus of Panama southward 

 through Columbia to eastern Peru and westward to the Guianas and 

 the northern states of Brazil. On the San Bias coast it is moderately 

 abundant, but in the Guianas and in parts of Venezuela it is now 

 very rare. The wood is now brought down the Amazon, which 

 indicates that its commercial distributions extend pretty well into 

 Brazil. 



The only portion of the tree that has a commercial value is the 

 heartwood, which is for the most part very small. A tree of twenty 

 inches in diameter has only about seven inches of heartwood. The 

 sapwood is light yellow or nearly white, and the heartwood is of a 

 rich dark brown color tinged with red and mottled with irregular 

 black spots somewhat resembling the markings of a leopard, hence 

 its trade name. The wood is very hard, heavy (about eighty pounds 

 per cubic foot), exceedingly strong, tough, and is said to be very 

 durable in contact with the soil. It is extremely close-grained and 

 almost never cross grained. It is said to split with considerable 

 ease which is its only drawback for making walking-sticks. Its 

 great elasticity fits it particularly for making bows and it is used 

 occasionally for making violin bows. One of the chief uses in 

 England and in the United States is for making walking-sticks 

 and the butts of fishing rods. The great weight of this wood renders 

 it unfit for the tips. Snakewood is susceptible of a very good polish 

 and is much sought by the cabinet makers, but on account of the 

 small dimensions of the heartwood it is used only for very small 

 articles. The wood is veneered and used in this form. 



Snakewood is shipped into England and this country in the form 



ui small lugs with the sa|iHood removed, ll is always sold by 

 weight and usually brings from fifteen to twenty-four cents per 

 pound. It is one of the most expensive woods in the American 

 markets. 



The well j)repared transverse section of snakewood magnified fifty 

 diameter shows the structure of the wood. If any one wishes to 

 determine for himself as to whether his cane or fishing rod is made 

 of the genuine snakewood he can make the examination with a pocket 

 lens by first cutting a smooth surface approximately at right angles 

 to the vertical axis of the rod. If the specimen is carefully pre- 

 pared with a very sharp knife, the observer will be able to compare 

 the characters of the wood with the description. What constitute 

 the most important distinguishing characters of snakewood are the 

 numerous small round pores arranged either singly or in rows of 

 two to three and the faint, irregular lines of lighter colored and 

 less dense fibers. 



Walnut Will Be a Feature 



American- walnut gave the most spectacular evidence of its re- 

 vival at the January furniture shows, and from indications which 

 have been given thus far to those engaged in the manufacture of 

 walnut lumber and veneers the showing at the July exhibitions 

 will be still more elaborate. It is estimated that somewhere between 

 150 and 200 concerns will display samples made of this material, 

 while in most cases those who showed last January will have a 

 larger number of designs to offer this time. 



The attitude of the furniture trade, and especially the makers of 

 fine furniture, is indicated by the statement of the Berkey & Gay 

 Furniture Company, of Grand Rapids, which say.s, "it has been show- 

 ing the largest line of walnut furniture made in this country for 

 some seasons, and will show still more at the July show. This com- 

 pany is having good sales of walnut furniture, and sees no reason 

 why it should not contimie to grow." 



The Phoenix Furniture (j'ompany, of Grand Rapids, reported that 

 during the past six months American walnut furniture has been out- 

 selling mahogany. Many consumers state that they are taking on 

 larger lines of American walnut furniture because of the Circassian 

 walnut situation. 



Late Traffic News 



Rates on lumber between Pennsylvania and Xew York points are 

 attacked in a complaint by the Palmer & Semans Lumber Company 

 of Union Town, Pa. 



A practice in Cincinnati alleged to be unfair has been attacked 

 by the W. IT. Settle & Co. of that city. The complaint has to do with 

 the higher rates which are charged to certain portions of Cincinnati 

 as compared with those to other points of the same city. Settle & Co. 

 have their plant at Madisonville, which is within the corporate limits 

 of the city. 



Reduction of rates on lumber from Kentwood, La., to various north- 

 ern destinations has been denied. 



The rate on gum lumber from Cedars, Miss., to Illinois and Wis- 

 consin points has been attacked in the case of the Mississippi 

 Veneer & Lumber Company versus the Illinois Central. 



