6 



FUSTIC WOOD: ITS SUBSTITUTES AND ADULTERANTS. 



powder, aqueous extract, and paste or lake. The greater part of the 

 supply, however, comes on the market in either chips or large pieces. 

 While it is possible with a microscope to detect fibers of other woods 

 mixed with ground fustic, it is often impossible, from the fibers alone, 

 to identify them, because the distinguishing characters of the fibers 



FIG. 1. Transverse section of fustic wood (Chlorophora tinctoria). Magnified 50 diameters. Vessels are 

 the large circular or elliptical openings scattered throughout the transverse section. Wood fibers com- 

 prise the broad, dark, dense, bands extending horizontally across the illustration. Wood-parenc\yma 

 fibers form the lighter, narrow, horizontal bands which extend across the picture; this tissue is seen to 

 extend more or less around all vessels. Pith rays are the somewhat indistinct, narrow lines extending 

 from the top to the bottom of the illustration. 



have been obliterated by grinding. It is comparatively easy, how- 

 ever, to identify the different woods before they are powdered or 

 ground into pulp. 



SUBSTITUTES FOB FUSTIC WOOD. 



The woods most commonly substituted for fustic are of the smoke- 

 tree, osage orange, and also several species of prickly ash (Xan- 

 fhoxylum), the latter being occasionally sold under the names prickly 

 yellowwood or yellowwood. Since true fustic is becoming scarce, 



