242 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



mahogany. The wood is tough and comparatively strong, although, 

 according to Laslett, it is unsuitable for the beams of heavy guns lest 

 it should contain some hidden defect, which he refers to as a cross 

 fracture of a very remarkable kind. This is the cross break which is 

 found to exist so largely in the mahogany of the West Coast of Africa 

 (see p. 127). My own experience of shipments during the last twenty 

 years, however, is that this defect is now rarely found. Sabicu exhibits 

 a peculiarity which is shared by greenheart, in that, when tested for 

 crushing force in the direction of its fibres, it bears the addition of weight 

 after weight without showing any signs of 5delding ; but when the crush- 

 ing force is obtained, it gives way suddenly and completely, nothing being 

 left of the pieces but a loose mass of shapeless fibres. 



Sabicu has very little sap and is a remarkably solid wood. It is 

 characteristic of it that there is an almost complete absence of the heart-, 

 star-, and cup-shakes. It seasons slowly, shrinks but little, and does not 

 split, as do most other woods, while undergoing that process. It also 

 bears exposure to the weather without being in any but the sHghtest 

 degree affected, even if left without paint or varnish to protect it ; further, 

 it works up well and there is only a trifling loss in its conversion. It 

 therefore has much to recommend it to the favourable notice of the 

 manufacturer. 



Formerly it was much employed in shipbuilding, where its good 

 qualities gained for it a high reputation ; to this may be attributed the 

 fact that it is frequently specified for purposes where other and possibly 

 less expensive woods would be equally suitable. It has also been used 

 to a very considerable extent by the Ordnance Department for gun 

 carriages and similar work. Till the outbreak of the European war it 

 was considered to be the best wood for saddle-trees, but suppHes then 

 faihng, substitutes were perforce employed. Amongst these was padauk, 

 and it is doubtful as to whether this is not the more suitable wood of 

 the two. 



A certain demand exists for the use of sabicu in fine cabinet work, for 

 which the exceeding smoothness of the grain makes it particularly 

 suitable. It is hkely that some early work which is supposed to be 

 mahogany is of this wood. Sabicu curls or crotches, although somewhat 

 difficult to obtain, have a very beautiful effect, particularly when employed 

 in conjunction with satinwood, for decorative panels in the Adams and 

 Sheraton styles. Such a combination is often found in the work of 

 these artists. Used thus it has a most artistic appearance, for the 

 lapse of time imparts an attractive and mellow tone to the wood. 



The pores are scarce and very irregular in size and position ; they 

 generally appear in groups, and some are plugged with a bright shining 

 gum (?). The medullary rays are exceedingly fine and numerous ; they 



