16 WOOD-USING INDUSTRIES OF CALIFORNIA. 



MADRONA. 



This species grows in the northern cross ranges of the State, in the 

 coast ranges southward to the San Gabriel Mountains, and southward 

 in the Sierra to the head of the Tuolumne River, ranging from sea level 

 to 3,000 feet elevation. Very often the. tree grows from 60 to 80 feet 

 high, with a straight, clean trunk 2 to 3 feet in diameter. Frequently, 

 however, it is low and shrubby, or from 25 to 40 feet high, with a 

 crooked or leaning trunk 8 to 15 inches through. 



The wood is pale reddish brown, with a thin whitish sap wood ; rather 

 heavy, dense, fine grained ; very hard when dry, but cuts like softwood 

 while green ; and it is usually quite brittle. It makes a handsome floor- 

 ing, for which small quantities of it are now being used. 



THE FOREIGN WOODS. 



Mahogany, Japanese oak, and Spanish cedar were the principal 

 foreign woods used in California in 1910. 



The name mahogany covers a number of different species, only one 

 of which is the true mahogany. In this publication the name American 

 mahogany designates tropical woods, grown in North and South 

 America, which are called mahogany by the trade. That a large pro- 

 portion of the lumber thus designated is not the true mahogany, may be 

 gauged from the fact that while the cut of the latter is about eighteen 

 million feet, many times that amount of lumber is sold under that 

 name in the markets of the world. In 1908 the imports of mahogany 

 into the United States amounted to 41,678,000 feet, of which 65.5 per 

 cent came from North America, 18.1 per cent from Europe, 13.8 per 

 cent from Africa, 2.2 per cent from South America, and .4 per cent 

 from Asia. Most of that imported from North America was grown in 

 Mexico, some in British Honduras, some in Cuba, and a small amount 

 in Nicaragua and Honduras. The greater portion of that from South 

 America was the so-called Colombian mahogany, which is not a true 

 mahogany ; a little came from Peru, where some of the true mahogany 

 is found. Although no mahogany is produced in Europe, much of it 

 is shipped via European ports (principally those of Great Britain). It 

 is a fact worth noting that the finer qualities of logs come through the 

 English markets, although it is probable that none of the lumber from 

 Great Britain reaches the Pacific coast. An interesting discussion rela- 

 tive to the so-called Colombian mahogany may be found in Forest 

 Service Circular No. 185. 



Japanese oak is a comparatively recent arrival in California. It 

 seems to take the place of eastern white oak in places where great 

 strength is not required. Some of it, however, is now being used for 

 railroad ties in this country. 



