94 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



GuMBAR. Gmelina arborea, Roxb. Weight, 38 lbs. (Gamble). India, 

 Burma. 



The wood is of a pale yellowish- white and resembles white mahogany 

 or prima vera in colour, texture, and grain, possessing the roe and mottle 

 so weU kno\vn in mahogany. It would be a very useful and attractive 

 furniture and cabinet wood. Gamble reports it as " the chief furniture 

 wood of Chittagong, and is in some demand in Calcutta, where it has been 

 used for making the showcases of the Imperial museum. It has also 

 been used on the Bengal North-Western Railway for the linings of 

 railwa}^ carriages." He quotes Captain Baker, writing in 1829 as speaking 

 of its use for " . . . organ pipes, sounding boards and other such work 

 where shrinkage is to be avoided." 



This is one of the timbers mentioned on ]\Ir. Gamble's list of woods 

 which are available in fairh' large quantities, and are likely to be worth 

 trial. 



GuRjUN. Dipterocarpns tnrhinatus, Gaert. f., and other species of 

 Diptcrocarpus. W'eight, 42-50 lbs. Burma, Chittagong, the Anda- 

 man Islands. 



This is a magnificent tree 150 to 200 feet in height. The source of 

 the timber which has come to the United Kingdom is probably confined 

 to the Andaman Islands ; it has been received in clean, sound, sawn 

 planks of moderate lengths and widths. Gurjun oil, which is extracted 

 from the tree, is much in demand and is used for making torches, 

 and for painting houses and ships. The timber resembles that of eng, 

 but is of a slightly browner colour. It is useful in the same manner 

 for the same purposes. It makes a beautiful flooring which stands well 

 if artificially dried, and gives an agreeable aromatic scent which is 

 noticeable on first entering a room and is fairly persistent even after 

 some years. Parquet flooring of gurjun wood has been very much 

 admired. 



It stands very well in England when exposed to the weather, and the 

 grain does not rise or wear to a ridgy surface, even when it is not pro- 

 tected by any paint or varnish. It can be used advantageously in all 

 kinds of constructional work in the same manner as eng or in, and yang. 

 As in eng, yang, and Borneo camphor-wood, if exposed to damp, an ugly 

 black stain appears where iron or steel nails or screws are used. 



The pores, which are very regular in size and character, are evenly 

 distributed. The medullary rays are parallel and even, and are joined 

 at right angles by similar lines, which are light, very fine, and exceedingly 

 numerous. 



