REDWOOD LUMBERING. 9 



quite superior to Mexican cedar, and to most of the hard- 

 woods of the tropics. The heavy coats of varnish have been 

 rubbed down, until a hard enamel has been obtained ; the 

 many lines and curves of the grain in the wood have been 

 brought out, and the rich tones preserved. 



" It has long been well known that redwood made a su- 

 perior finish for house interiors. But for the most part it has 

 been covered up with paint, and the effect of all the natural 

 colors and tones spoiled. Of late some attention has been 

 turned to the fine effect which may be produced by the use 

 of this wood in natural colors for interiors. Here and there 

 a dining-room or a sitting-room may be seen partly finished in 

 redwood, the builder being a little chary of a too liberal use 

 of the material, as if he were trying an experiment which 

 might or might not be successful. But the employment of 

 redwood in natural colors can no longer be called an experi- 

 ment. The best of this material, which is the butt logs and 

 stumps, including the roots, furnishes as handsome a grain 

 as is found in any of the more costly woods. It is probable 

 that this part of the tree furnishes the hardest timber, as it 

 certainly furnishes quite ihe handsomest. One can hardly 

 fail to observe the strong tendency just now to substitute 

 wood finish for plaster in house interiors. The reign of stucco 

 is disappearing. With it also the painted interior is disappear- 

 ing. That handsome native woods should be covered up with 

 lead and oil is a usage without a good reason behind it. The 

 white stuccoed interior went with the glowing white exterior. 

 " At this stage of the transition high colored papers are 

 much employed for interiors. Many of the papers have " stun- 



