32b 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



ill habit, forming almost pure forests. lu the Corantyne district 

 tliirty-five to forty trees of eighteen inches or more in girth occur to 

 tlie acre, while in the northwestern district the average is eleven to 

 fifteen trees to the acre. Supplies of crabwood have for many years 

 been obtained from the Demerara and Berbice rivers, whOe in recent 

 years the Corantyne and northwestern districts have been worked. The 

 logs are collected and made into rafts and floated to the nearest saw- 

 mills or markets. The felling of crabwood timber is mostly, if not en- 

 tirely, carried on by aboriginal Indians. 



Of the several varieties of wallaba wood, those principally used are 

 "soft wallaba" (Eperua falcata) and "Ituri wallaba" (Eperua 

 jenmanii). The heartwood of tliese varieties is in great demand for 

 posts and for making shingles, palings, vat staves, etc. Soft waUaba is 

 a heavy wood, hard, with a very coarse but more or less even grain. 

 It splits readily, is very resinous, and has an unpleasant odor which, 

 however, disappears after a sufBciently long exposure. It is probably 

 the most abundant of the colony 's timbers. The Ituri wallaba is simi- 

 lar in character to the soft variety, but is not so abundant. Another 

 variety called the Bimiti wallaba is used only for firewood. 



Both soft and Ituri wallaba are widilv .lisli ilmtcd. On the slightly 

 elevated and hilly lands of loose, wliili ^:iihI, silunti'd in the central 

 and eastern parts of the colony, they c-.nist it wic .ilidut forty per cent 

 of the forest trees. In the forests of the swamp lands, these two 

 kinds, together with Bimiti wallaba, are found on places where the 

 soil is more or less of a sandy nature. 



For shingle making, soft wallaba is mostly used, but Ituri wallaba 

 is sometimes employed. Only wood having a straight grain can be 

 used. Single-making is mainly confined to the Demerara and Berbice 

 rivers, more particularly to the lower reaches of the former. 



In addition to the woods above mentioned there are many other 

 valuable and handsome woods, a few of which are sometimes exported. 

 The following may be mentioned : 



Hardwoods. 



Mora, rated first-class at Lloyd's, and used for railway sleepers. It 

 grows near to the banks of the rivers and creeks, is of large size and 

 is useful for many purposes. 



Bullet tree is now cut only for special purposes, as it yields balata. 

 The wood is dark red, close-grained, heavy and durable. 



Suradanni grows in low situations, and is fairly plentiful. The 

 wood is of a deep red color. 



Purple-heart is one of the tallest trees of the forests. The wood 

 is of a dark purple color and is hard, close-grained and durable. 



Locust or siniri grows in sandy soils. The wood is hard, heavy and 

 close-grained, and takes a fine polish. 



Kakarallis are common in the county of Essequibo. This wood is 

 close-grained, tough, and of a light brown color. 



Hubu balli grows plentifully on some of the tributaries of the Esse- 

 quibo. The wood is of a light brown color and takes a good ijolish, 

 It lasts under water for a long time and is often used for the liottoms 

 of lighters and boats. 



Of the medium hard woods silverballi, of which there are several 

 varieties, the yellow, brown, white and red, is a handsomely grained 

 wood with an aromatic scent. It is a durable wood and is used prin- 

 cipally for planking boats and for making naves of wheels. 



White cedar grows commonly in swampy places, and is mostly used 

 for paddles. 



Determa is well ailapted for making boats and canoes and for 

 masts and spars of vessels. It is a light, strong wood, resembling 

 cedar in color. 



Simarupa grows throughout the colony, especially en sandy soils. 

 The wood is of a light color and is close-grained. It is useful for in- 

 side housework. 



With an eye to the future demands for timber when peace is con- 

 cluded, British Guiana offers splendid opportunities and will be in a 

 position to export the greatest quantities of all kinds. 



Time to Begin Planting Trees 



In England and Scotland they are preparing and planning to 

 replant the forests which have been cut to provide war supplies. 

 They are not waiting until the w:ar is over but are doing it now. 

 Never before have those countries been so bare of timber as they 

 are now. Forests which heretofore were hunting ranges and sport- 

 ing grounds only, have gone to supply the factories at home and 

 the armies abroad. The sacrifice was necessary and it has been 

 made. Forests in England and Scotland were neither large nor 

 many, but they were sufficient to tide over the time of peril. The 

 cutting is not yet all done, but plans for planting new forests are 

 under way. The old forests were primarily ornamental and inci- 

 dentally useful, but those which are now being deliberately pro- 

 vided for will be primarily nseful and incidentally ordamental. 

 This will conform to the spirit of the times after the war. Forests 

 will no longer be planted and protected for the benefit of a few 

 hunters and gentlemen of leisure, but. will be made and maintained 

 for the use of the people as a whole. 



In the United States we are not in so much need of tree planting 

 as they are in the British Isles. We have so much timber left that 

 in most oases we cannot miss what the war has taken. We could 

 fight on for twenty years and still have plenty of most kinds. But' 

 there are two kinds of timber which the war demand has greatly 

 depleted, and they are kinds of much importance, locust and black 

 walnut. 



These were not abundant when the war began, and the demand 

 has been extraordinarily heavy. The supply is now smaller than 

 it ever was in the past. Would it not be a good policy to do as 

 they are now doing across the sea, take immediate measures for 

 planting walnut and black locust? If these woods shall never 

 again be needed in war, as we all hope they shall not be, they 

 can be used in the industries of peace. 



The government owns lands where locust and walnut will grow 

 to perfection. The Forest Service has charge of such areas in the 

 Appalachian region, in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, 



and elsewhere. Why would it not be a good business proposition 

 for the Forest Service to plant these lands in walnut and locust, 

 not experimented lots and plots here and there, but by thousands 

 and tens of thousands of acres? Experiments are not necessary. 

 The land lies in the natural range of these trees, and there is no 

 question that they will grow. Even if there is never another war, 

 the investment would be a good one. Walnut and locust logs and 

 lumber will always sell for good prices. The government has the 

 land, it has the men in the Forest Service who can do it, they have 

 the knowledge and experience which guarantee success, and the 

 only thing needed is the money and the order to go ahead. The 

 expense would be moderate in comparison with what is now being 

 paid for lumber for war work. There can be little question that 

 after this war has been won and ended, the government will be 

 less stingy in its appropriations for constructive work than it has 

 been in the past. When money is needed. Congress vrill vote it; 

 and a planting project, such as walnut and locust, ought to have 

 little opposition. 



The average lumber haul by rail, including the whole United 

 States, is approximately 300 miles. Many carloads are transported 

 3,000 miles. 



It is not generally known that a little mahogany grows in the 

 United States. A tree is cut now and then in the extreme southern 

 ]iart of Florida. A considerable amount of this timber once grew 

 there, but it was cut out between 1835 and 184.5. 



Chicago was a maple sugar market a hundred years ago. Indians 

 manufactured it and carried it in bark baskets to the trading post 

 where Chicago now stands. They sold it by the "bark," not by 

 the pound. A bark was a basket full, that is, a cake that exactly 

 fitted the basket. In fact, the melted sugar was poured into the 

 bark basket and solidified in tliat mold. Lake boats carried the 

 sugar to eastern markets. 



