HARDWOOD RECORD 



15 



AMERICAN FOREST TREES. 



Mahogany. 



i< wide Ilia niahoijaiii. 



Khaua sciuijalcnsis. 



Soymida fcbrifaga. 

 There are three principal species of ma- 

 liogany: Central American or true mahog- 

 .■my, Swietenia mahogani; African mahogany, 

 Kluiya senegalcnsis, and Indian mahogany, 

 Noi/mida fcbrifaga. These are the mahog- 

 anies of commerce. Tliere are a 

 number of minor species called ma- 

 hogany, but they are of no impor- 

 tance in tlie trade. 



Mahogany is essentially a tropi- 

 cal tree. It reaches its highest de- 

 velopment between the latitudes of 

 11° and 23° 10' north. Trees found 

 nearer the eqimtor are not usually 

 of such fine quality as those in the 

 real mahogany belt. It is one of 

 tlie most plentiful of the finer hard- 

 woods since it thrives throughout 

 the tropical zone, which is the larg- 

 est of the zones, and comparatively 

 little of it has as yet been cut off. 

 There are no mahogany forests, and 

 individual trees are often widely 

 scattered, making the cost of log- 

 ging exceedingly high, especially 

 since it is found in undeveloped re- 

 gions where transportation facili- 

 ties are usually lacking. 



The tree is one of great beauty, 

 its tall trunk broadening out a few 

 feet from the ground into huge but- 

 tresses, much as does the cypress of 

 our own country. It varies in 

 height in the different countries of 

 its growth from fifty to one hun- 

 dred feet, in diameter from three to 

 e^■en twelve feet. 



Central American or true mahog- 

 any, Stcietenia mahogani, is con- 

 fined to tropical America — in Cuba, 

 Honduras, Santo Domingo, Ja- 

 maica, central and northern South 

 America and Mexico it is found in 

 luxuriant growth and of excellent 

 physics. There is a scattering 

 growth of this species on the Flo- 

 rida keys which is the only ma- 

 hogany native to the United States. 

 It is known as Madeira and used 

 principally in boat building, but is 

 not of superior quality. 



The leaves of Siuwtenia maliogani 

 are »fompouud, four to six inches 

 long, composed of three or four 

 slender, sharp-pointed leaflets. They are a 

 pale yellowish green above and darker be- 

 low, smooth and glossy. The bark is a very 

 dark reddish brown. The small white flowers 

 grow in delicate sprays, and appear in July 

 or August. The fruit is a four-valved cap- 

 sule, as shown in illustration, four to five 

 inches long and two and a half inches broad. 

 It is a dark red-brown in color, has a thick, 



TH IKT V-SEVKNTIl PAI'IJK. 



hard covering and is full of winged seeds. The 

 generic name of the species is so-called in 

 honor of Baron von Swieten (1700-1772), the 

 distinguished Dutch physician noted as the 

 founder of the Botanic Garden of the Med- 

 ical School at Vienna. 



In all the various classes of mahogany 

 known to the trade, such as Mexican, Cuban, 

 African and Indian, there are various species, 



TVr 



ICAL FUKKST GliOWTII MI'AKAGUAN MAHOGA 

 CENTRAL AMERICA. 



all distinguishable among themselves by 

 slight differences in color, texture and weight. 

 Cuban mahogany is not as highly figured as 

 the African wood, but by many its figure is 

 thought to be finer. It is used where color, 

 strength and good surface are required. It 

 is noted for its hardness and the polish that 

 can be given to it, and when worked up the 

 wood is exceedingly rich under finish. 



.\V 



The Mexican wood, as a general rule, is 

 slightly darker than the Cuban, but lighter 

 in color aud of a softer texture than the 

 African product. When worked its surface 

 surpasses in figure that of the Cuban wood 

 and it is used where high polish antl good 

 markings are required. It is jjrobably the 

 most generally used mahogany in the United 

 States. 



There are several dittVrent kinds 

 of African mahogany, but the most 

 highly esteemed species is the Lagos 

 wood. The tree is very large and 

 its maikings are excellent. It is 

 aliout as heavy as the Mexican wood 

 and not quite so hard as that of 

 Cuba. It has a rich, dark surface 

 and its figure is umrfi variegated 

 and beautiful than that of other 



\H)0ds. 



Indian njahogany, which has been 

 liitherto importeil comparatively Ut- 

 ile into this country, is of a rich, 

 ilark color. It is called Vermilion, 

 being of the exact shade of that 

 color, and is very heavy. When 

 made up it has a remarkably fine 

 appearance, the color aud finish be- 

 ing of the best. 



The mahogany imported into the 

 United States is of course largely 

 of the American varieties, although 

 of late African has come to be quite 

 extensively used. The African field 

 was the last to be entered and wood 

 from this source is rapidly gaining 

 in favor all over the civilized world, 

 most of it being distributed through 

 English markets, of which Liverpool 

 handles the largest quantities. At 

 tlio periodical auction sales at Liver- 

 pool and Loudon it is disposed of to 

 liuyers ]iot only from the principal 

 J"]uropean countries but also to rep- 

 resentatives of the large consuming 

 interests of the United States. 



Gutting mahogany in any of its 

 native haunts is a laborious and ex- 

 pensive process, but most especially 

 is this true in Africa, where there 

 is not only the usual problem of 

 transportation facilities but also the 

 even more distressing one of insuf- 

 ficiency of labor. 



ilahogany has long been the most 

 popular of the expensive woods used 

 in England, where it was introduced 

 the latter part of the seventeenth 

 by a prominent London physician. 

 The doctor had a brother 



ceutury 



Doctor Gibbons. 



who -was a captain on a vessel plying between 



India and England, who on one of his trips 



took to England several logs of mahogany as 



ballast. The doctor was then building in 



Covent Garden and his brother suggested that 



the wood might be of value as beams. It 



w-as experimented with, but the workmen 



