PREFACE TO PART VIII. 



Part VIII, American Woods, is the third installment of the woods 

 of the Pacific slope, and in the announcement of its completion I feel 

 a special pleasure in that I am able to show in it the interesting wood 

 of a palrn, The successful sectioning and representation of palm 

 woods has long been an unsolved problem with me, and not until my 

 recent experiments with the California Fan Palm have I met with any 

 success in its solution. The result of our experiments is shown in the 

 accompanying sections. 



Another gratifying success is shown in the sections of the wood of 

 the Cactus, Opuntia Tuna. This, too, is a wood which we took up 

 hardly expecting to succeed with it. The result was a happy surprise 

 and the sections were found to be most interesting. 



The sections of the Palm and Cactus are so fragile that we have found 

 it necessary to protect them with mica, which I trust will be sufficient, 

 and I feel confident that their appearance in AMERICAN WOODS will be 

 welcomed by our patrons with as much pleasure as we include them. 



I am pleased to acknowledge gratefully the assistance rendered by 

 Mr. Samuel B. Parish, Mr. Chas. H. Shinn, Dr. II. E. Hasse and 

 others while gathering the woods. 



For the privilege of collecting specimens of the interesting woods 

 on Santa Catalina Island I am under obligation to Mr. J. B. Banning, 

 and for courtesies and valuable assistance in the work to Mrs. Blanche 

 Trask and Mr. W. S. Lyon. I wish also to acknowledge with sincere 

 thanks the courtesies extended by Pres. C. P. Huntington, of the 

 Southern Pacific Railroad Company, which have greatly aided me in 

 my work. 



LOWVILLE, K Y. 3 July 31, 1899. 



