204 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



latter. Only about 5 per cent of the " on-coloured," however, is found 

 to have the finest crimson colour. In both sorts the quality in strength 

 and durability is equal. It is generally straight-grained, although 

 containing alternate grains running different ways, which necessitates 

 the use of a sharp tool to produce a smooth surface. A small percentage 

 of the trees yield wood with beautiful figure, generally consisting of a 

 narrow stripe or roe, often broken and interspersed with mottle, and 

 presenting a handsome appearance when well polished. On this account, 

 as weU as for its rich colour, its chief value is for ornamental decorative 

 work, furniture, and panelling. It has a very handsome appearance when 

 used in parquet flooring. It is very strong and durable, both in exposed 

 positions and in the ground, and is consequently valuable for constructive 

 work. 



In India, besides being used for planks and beams, it is considered the 

 best wood for gun-carriages and wheels, and is also used for most kinds 

 of ornamental and decorative work. Until recently the Burma species 

 {P. macrocarpus) was considered to be the stronger and more durable, 

 but Mr. Peai^son says that tests carried out have shown conclusively 

 that the Andaman wood is the stronger, and consequently the more 

 suitable for gun-carriage and wheel work. Notwithstanding some 

 considerable effort to bring it into favour in England, it has never until 

 quite recently been in demand. Messrs. Jackson & Graham exhibited 

 furniture made of Andaman padauk at Paris in 1878. The fittings in the 

 office at 38 Trinity Square, London, as well as a handsome desk, are made 

 of this wood and piesent a very attractive appearance. The offices of 

 Messrs. EUis & Sons, surveyors, in Fenchurch Street, are trimmed with 

 it also, but in most places the building is so dark and the wood has been 

 stained so much in pohshing that it does not show to advantage. Messrs. 

 Burroughes & Watts have used a considerable quantity at different 

 times for such work as billiard-table construction, where its reliable 

 qualities have proved it to be quite satisfactory. The seats and partitions 

 of a few dining cars on the London and North- Western Railway have been 

 furnished in Andaman padauk, but few people recognise it, as the wood 

 has not been used for panels or decorative work, and the arms of the seats 

 have become so duU and discoloured that except to the expert it is hardly 

 distinguishable from mahogany. 



Planks 30 and occasionally 40 inches wide are obtainable from 

 different logs, but the finest broad slabs are yielded by the buttresses, 

 which not infrequently disfigure the lower portions of the stems. 

 Osmaston {Indian Forest Records) mentions the case of one such buttress 

 which jdelded wood for an oval table 12 feet 9 inches by 7 feet, which 

 was formerly in the possession of the late Lord Kitchener. 



During the war, large quantities of the timber lying in the London 



