BRAZILIAN WOODS 625 



porco, pindahyba, imbauba, aca, caja, canella jacu, canella gosmenta, 

 taroma, gotrana, mulungu, sapucaia, figueira de campo, conde, louro, 

 imbriussu, guaxima, bacurubu, palmito doce, bainha-capada, pinho do 

 Parana. 



Most of these are of very rapid growth, and at the age of seven or 

 eight years reach a diameter equal to that of our European resinous 

 woods at twenty-five years. Nearly all of them have a white or very 

 light-colored physical texture, with long, flexible fibers. Apart from 

 the pinho and the almecega, none of them contains resin. Almost all 

 attain a height of 20 to 40 meters {66 to 112 feet) and a diameter of 

 'io centimeters to 2>^ meters (say, 30 to 100 inches), with the exception 

 of the gua.xima, which is a shrub. 



A nalysis of Some of the Woods 



One Month after Felling Dry timber 



Water, Ash, Cellulose, Ash, Cellulose, 



Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent 



Canella gosmenta 34.22 0.71 48.02 1.08 72.99 



Canella jacu 38.61 0.61 43.75 1.00 71.26 



Taroma 32.94 1.29 46.07 1.93 68.70 



Gotrana 33.32 0.75 45.75 1.12 68.61 



Multmgu 54.53 1.24 30.99 2.74 68.16 



Imbauba 28.92 0.93 47.71 1.31 67.12 



Sapucaia 33.57 0.38 44.25 0.58 66.61 



Figueira do campo 39.33 1.54 40.39 2.54 66.58 



Conde 31.67 0.79 44.31 1.15 64.85 



Imbirussu 40.70 0.81 37.52 1.36 63.28 



Guaxima (bark) 54.82 5.38 12.77 11.90 28.27 



Guaxima (wood) 43.56 1.03 34.81 1.83 61.67 



Bacurubu 23.13 1.59 46.54 2.07 60.55 



Palmito doce 30.43 0.83 40.50 1.19 58.22 



Bainha-capada 41.77 1.05 31.36 1.80 53.86 



Loiu-o 19.37 2.74 52.17 3.40 64.70 



Volume and Distribution 



The writer has carried out a large number of estimates of the 

 volume occupied by these white woods. In a general way, it may be 

 said that it decreases in inverse ratio with the altitude in tropical forests. 

 Thus the writer has measured in forests at an altitude of less than 100 

 meters 550 cubic meters of white wood per hectare (7,862 cubic feet 

 per acre), while at 250 or 300 meters (say, 825 to 1,000 feet) the pro- 

 portion is no more than 200 cubic meters (2,860 cubic feet per acre). 

 At a height of 500 to 600 meters (say, 1,700 to 1,900 feet) it falls below 

 100 cubic meters per hectare (1,430 cubic feet per acre). These figures 

 relate to squared trunk wood ; no account is taken of the branches or 

 of the exterior wood, which by themselves form a volume equal to 

 nearly one-half of that of the trunk wood. 



