AMERICAN FORESTRY 



727 



MAHOGANY 



{Continued from page 710) 



convenient lengths to be handled and 

 squared so that they can be more easily 

 stowed away in ships. 



By this time the dry season has begun, 

 and while a part of the gang are engaged 

 in cutting,, others are at work preparing 

 roads and bridges to enable the logs to be 

 transported. The trucks used for hauling 

 are two-wheeled affairs, constructed on the 

 spot, save for the axles and hubs, which 

 are brought in by the lumbermen. Oxen 

 are used to haul these improvised wagons. 

 The work is done mostly at night, 

 by the aid of pine torches, for the 

 reason that it is cooler at that time. The 

 logs are collected on the banks of the riv- 

 ers and left there until June, when the 

 rainy season sets in. At that time they 

 are cut loose and allowed to float down 

 stream. A gang of natives in flat bottomed 

 canoes follow the logs to see that none 

 are lost. When they 'have arrived at 

 their destination, each owner collects his 

 logs, which are marked by certain dis- 

 tinguishing marks on the ends. They are 

 then prepared for export by cutting off 

 any battered ends or split portions. The 

 natives tie them together and raft them to 

 the ships, where they are placed aboard. 

 This is a dangerous operation, for in rough 

 weather, many of the rafts are broken up 

 and the timbers carried out to sea. In 

 the majority of cases they are carried by 

 ships to London, which is the mahogany 

 center of the world, and from there dis- 

 persed in smaller quantities. 



The wood is generally classified under 



two heads: the Spanish Mahogany and the 

 Honduras mahogany. The former com- 

 poses the richly colored, solid, heavy va- 

 rieties, which are sought after chiefly for 

 furniture veneering. It is susceptible to a 

 high degree of polish and when properly 

 treated, a rich wavy figuring is brought 

 out. The Spanish wood is the produce of 

 the island of San Domingo, whence only 

 small quantities come at the present time. 

 Cuba furnishes a much larger log, which 

 is only slightly inferior to the San Do- 

 mingo, and is classed as Spanish wood. 

 It can be partly distinguished by the white 

 chalk-like specks in the pores and is cold 

 to the touch. 



The Honduras mahogany is lighter, open 

 grained and more uniform in color; almost 

 devoid of figuring or curl. There are 

 black specks or lines in the grain, which are 

 characteristic only of that variety. It is 

 valuable where a sound straight timber 

 free from all tendencies to warp is re- 

 quired. Alkalies are often applied to this, 

 especially to the lighter colored wood, in 

 order to deepen the shade, and in this way 

 it sometimes replaces the better grade of 

 wood. 



The logs are often forty feet long and 

 from two to three feet square. They are 

 obtained from the low, moist land and are 

 generally soft and coarse. This variety 

 is used as a foundation on which to veneer 

 the finer varieties, and from its spongy 

 nature it is admirably suited for this pur- 

 pose, for the reason that the pores aid the 

 glue in adhering. Aside from this, it finds 

 a large use in pattern making, small turn- 

 ing work and shipbuilding. The itrees 



growing in the North, near the Mexican 

 border are much more dense and solid than 

 the lowland timber. 



Some authorities have supposed the Hon- 

 duras to be a different species from the 

 Spanish because of its lighter color as well 

 as the porous texture ; but it is now believed 

 that these differences arise from the dif- 

 ferent situations in which the trees are 

 found. 



In Mexico, the mahogany tree attains 

 its greatest dimensions. Squared logs of 

 from forty to forty-eight inches are infre- 

 quently obtained, although the average are 

 from fifteen inches to three feet, cut in 

 lengths of from eighteen to thirty feet for 

 convenience in shipping. The wood in 

 general is plain and somewhat soft at the 

 core, resembling the swamp variety of the 

 Honduras wood, and although timber 

 grown on the upland provinces, especially 

 Tobasco, is firm, solid, and not unfre- 

 quently richly figured. 



A carpenter on Sir Walter Raleigh's ship 

 is credited as being the first person to have 

 noticed the superior qualities of the wood. 

 He was attracted to it because of its great 

 beauty, hardness and durability. Dr. Gib- 

 bons, a physician of London, in 1720, was 

 presented with several planks brought from 

 the West Indies. He employed a cabinet- 

 maker named Wallaston, to construct some 

 small articles from this wood, and dating 

 from that time it has been highly cherished 

 as a cabinet wood, due to its soundness, 

 large size, uniform grain, durability, beauty 

 of color, richness of figure, which is im- 

 proved by age, and the ability to take a 

 high polish. 



BECOME A MEMBER 



Any person may oecome a member or tne A.merican Forestry Association 

 upon application anci payment or dues. 



PLANT TREES 



PROTECT FORESTS 



USE FORESTS 



FILL OUT THIS BLANK:- 



American Forestry Association 



1214 SIXTEENTH STREET N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C 



Tki it th only Popular 

 National Magazint de- 

 voted to trees and foreste 

 and the ute of wood. 



I hereby request membership in the American Forestry Asso- 

 ciation and enclose check f or $ 



INDICATE CLASS OF MEMBERSHIP 



Subscribing Membershio, per year $ 4.00 



Contributing Membership, per year 10.00 



Sustaining Membership, per year 25.00 



Life Membership (no other dues) 100.00 



Annual Membership 1,00 



Name. 



Street , . . . . 



Chy 



