WOOD-USING INDUSTRIES OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 21 



the South it is more abundant now than when the country was 

 first discovered, because of its habit of taking possession of 

 abandoned land; but the present timber averages much smaller 

 than the trees of the original stand. The old timber has been 

 largely cut for rails, house logs, fence posts, and lead pencil 

 material. Red cedar has a very extensive geographical range 

 in eastern North America, and resists man's encroachment more 

 persistently than almost any other tree. Its reproduction 

 depends almost wholly on seeds planted by birds which feed on 

 the berries. 



MAHOGANY 



Mahogany was reported for cabinet and finishing material and 

 for the best class of patterns. Its use as a finishing wood is 

 general, and its beauty when polished is well known. It is 

 employed for patterns when they are to be used many times, 

 and when especially durable ones are desired. The smoothness 

 with which it works is also a quality which recommends it for 

 patterns. Mahogany is a foreign wood, growing in the West 

 Indies, Mexico, and on the northern coast of South America. 

 It was formerly lumbered in Florida, and a small quantity is 

 still cut there; but it is no longer of commercial importance in 

 that State. Other woods which pass for mahogany come from 

 many parts of the world, but principally from Africa. The true 

 mahogany grows only in American countries which lie adjacent 

 to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It has been used 

 for furniture and finish in this country for more than two hundred 

 years, and is more popular now, perhaps, than ever before. All 

 things considered, it is one of the most substantial, reliable and 

 ornamental woods in the world. 



LIGNUM VITAE 



Though found to a. limited extent in sub-tropical Florida, this 

 wood is essentially a West Indian species. It is very heavy, 

 exceedingly hard, strong and difficult to work; the layers of 

 fibers lie alternately across one another so that the wood crumbles 

 rather than splits. It has no superior for implements that must 

 be true and strong, such as ship tackle and underwater bearings. 

 It is lubricated by water. In South Carolina it was reported 

 only in boat and ship building, and was made into bearings for 

 shafts and into ship tackle. 



