670 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



a tree often planted along our streets, smells like "rubbed 

 potatoes." The wood of the red bean of Australia is said 

 to smell just like Swedish turnips when newly cut. This 

 turnip odor is also more or less pronounced in our Nootka 

 cypress. Black locust timber, when fresh, tastes and 

 smells like green bean pods. 



The ipil and tindalo of the Philippines have a peculiar 

 oily odor re- 

 sembling that 

 of raw peanuts. 

 The West In- 

 dian satinwood 

 suggests cocoa- 

 nut oil and the 

 paperbark tree 

 of Australia is 

 said to smell 

 like Brazil nuts 

 while being 

 worked. The 

 kulim of the 

 Philippines and 

 Malay Penin- 

 sula gives forth 

 a strong aroma 

 of onions, 

 while the pao 

 d'alho of Bra- 

 zil is properly 

 known as gar- 

 lic wood. The 

 New Zealand 

 black pine has 

 a faint aroma 

 suggesting new 

 mown hay. A 

 Dutch East In- 

 dian wood 

 gives a distil- 

 late which re- 

 minds one of 

 cinnamon and 

 rhubarb. 



Slippery elm 

 wood smells 

 more or less 

 like licorice, 

 the catalpa like 

 kerosene, t h e 

 pinon pine and 

 sometimes the 

 sugar pine, like 

 beeswax. Dark, 



resinous specimens of our own southern cypress have a 

 mildly unpleasant odor of rancid butter. The wood of 

 the celery pine of New Zealand is said to have a faint 

 smell when worked, like bad cheese. The pagatpat of 

 the Philippines has a fishy or "swampy" odor, especially 

 when fresh. The cupang and batino of the same country 

 and the so-called stinkwood of South Africa have strong 



A HORSE CHESTNUT IN FULL BLOOM. AN 

 OF THIS TREE, WHEN FRESH, 



and very disagreeable odors when drying. The oily 

 heartwood of our viburnums has an extremely disgust- 

 ing smell which is far-reaching when the material is 

 fresh and never completely leaves it. The Australian 

 sandalwood is like burning joss sticks, overpowering and 

 sickly when in quantity. 



There are a number of so-called sneezewoods. The 



Zulu sneeze- 

 wood has a 

 peppery smell 

 which often 

 excites sneez- 

 ing and run- 

 ning of the 

 eyes when 

 worked. The 

 a c 1 e of the 

 Philippines and 

 the blue mahoe 

 of the West In- 

 dies are pep- 

 pery and are 

 said to excite 

 violent sneez- 

 ing when the 

 dry wood is be- 

 ing worked by 

 machinery. 



Many woods 

 have an un- 

 pleasant odor 

 when fresh and 

 during the sea- 

 soning process 

 but later lose it 

 partially or en- 

 tirely. Our 

 hemlock and 

 certain kinds of 

 fir, and the 

 Philippine cu- 

 pang are in this 

 class. Oak, par- 

 ticularly red 

 oak, has a pe- 

 culiar acid 

 smell when 

 curing. The 

 blue gum and 

 certain other 

 eucalypts o f 

 Australia smell 

 like acetic acid 

 when freshly worked. The malacadois and tuai of the 

 Philippines suggest aromatic vinegar when newly cut. 

 The urung of the same source has when fresh "a distinct 

 aromatic and somewhat acid odor reminding one of 

 cider." Teakwood, according to one authority, has a 

 "smell characteristic and powerful, like old shoe leather, 

 very offensive when being worked," but another says it 



ENGLISH AUTHORITY SAYS THAT THE WOOD 

 SMELLS LIKE "RUBBED POTATOES" 



