244 Forestry Quarterly. 



name for the same species. A more careful search would probably 

 increase our list to more than 150 species as representing the ar- 

 borescent flora of the High !Maestra. Leaving the enumeration of 

 all the discovered species to a separate list, we can single out and 

 discuss as to their value and characteristics those which are both, 

 most frequent and at the same time commercially important. 



The two most important and valuable species are the Cedar and 

 Mahogany. The first, Cedro, Cedrela odorata L. — so called from 

 the smell of the wood — not at all a cedar, but belonging with the 

 Mahogany and the well-known Umbrella Tree to the family of 

 Meliaceae, is here for certain territory the most frequent, and at- 

 tains magnificent size, diameters of 3 to 4 and even 5 feet, heights 

 of 150 to 160 feet, and log contents of over 3000 feet, the average 

 run, when only 15 inch logs are included, being somewhat over 700 

 feet to the tree. It is ubiquitous, making little choice of situations, 

 and even on dry ridges, which are usually empty of commercial 

 values, trees of large size will occasionally be found, the accident 

 of location over a rock-fissure probably accounting for such favor- 

 able development. Its Avood, now higher in price than Mahogany, 

 namely in New York up to 15 cents per foot in the log and in Ha- 

 bana $100 to $125 for lumber, is well-known in the shape of cigar 

 boxes, and is also fit for fine finishing, while culls ($30 to $40) are 

 used in Habana for rafters. One of its peculiarities is that upon 

 exposure to .the sun it very rapidly darkens in tone. There are other 

 woods resembling it in texture and other trees resembling it in fol- 

 iage and bark, and the only final test is the unmistakable smelL 

 Those concerned in log rules may be interested to learn that this 

 and similar woods are sold in the New York market by the One-fifth 

 rule, (an addition to Prof. Graves' collection), which divides the 

 circumference in inches by 5 and squares the result to give the board 

 foot contents of a 12 foot log. Since this gives invariably less than 

 most othqf rules and since waste is reduced to a minimum by the use 

 of fine saws or veneer knives, this high price for logs is relatively to 

 that paid for our woods not as high as it appears. 



Mahogany (Caoba), Swietenia Mahogany L., is the most readily 

 recognizable species by its unique, dark bark, and its sickle-shaped 

 foliage arranged in peculiarly rounded outlines on a straggling 

 crown, which permits it to be readily singled out from among other 

 trees and to be counted on a slope. 



It is a tree of the dry slopes and ridges and rarely finds its way 



