66 Timehrr. 
from a scientific point of view, but what is really important is the grouping 
under well-known and clearly identified local names, collated for district 
variations in nomenclature, of as many of our timbers as possible, in categorie: 
of the uses to which they may be put. 
This matter of local names is indeed very important because it is easy to 
get them wrong from vagueness and differences in pronunciation and from the 
fact that an external character often gives the same name to quite different 
woods. 
An illustration of thisis the name “ Broad leaf” (Creole ‘‘ Brad leaf”). 
This name is given to at least two, perhaps three, woods. There is a reference, 
in the Journal of the Board of Agriculture. January, 1911 (ude Forestry Off- 
cer’s Report) to ‘‘ Mahoe (Broad leaf) Sterculia sp.” Probably a timber known 
as “Matura” is meant, a close-grained somewhat hard and decidedly toughtim- 
ber quite commonly seen pushing its head wp with a crown of handsome broad 
leaves in secondary bush. The name is also given to ‘‘ Suradanni,” a rather 
open-grained timber resembling teak in grain and colour but of a richer and 
darker brown, the sp. g. of which is just under 1.0. To make matters worse, 
I have still another timber under the name of “‘ Mahoe ” which unlike the 
two preceding has a marked and handsome silver grain, splits easily, on the 
radial lines, is much lighter in weight and colour than either, differs in struc- 
ture in many ways, but probably belongs to the “lace bark” order. © 
The same kind of confusion arises in the case of “‘ Saka ” or “ Sacre.” The 
name is generally given to a heavy dark coloured timber, purplish brown in 
transverse section, lighter in tangential section, but from the Canje creek 
I have specimens from two wood-cutters one of which agrees with the “* Saka 
of the Berbice wood-cutters, another is a very light yellowish timber which 
in working gives off a strong carnation smell, somewhat like keritee, but more 
pungent. As in structure it is similar to the Laurus woods ; it may be placed 
provisionally among them while the other Saka is likely one of the 
Urticaceae. 
These examples indicate the kind of work which is urgently wanted if the 
assortment and selection of timbers for the markets of the world is to be made 
easy for, and the reasonable share of the proceeds of their sale to be pocketed 
by merchants on this side. 
The local merohant once in possession of a sound knowledge of the creole 
names of timbers, will then have to group them, for marketing purposes, 
as far as possible under names known to the timber user and justified by their 
character and uses. As, in a paper contributed to ‘'Timehri, ”’ Vol. I, New 
Series No. L., I pointed out, ‘‘ Mahogany ” in a commercial sense is applied to 
half a dozen or more timbers occurring in half as many different botanical 
orders, so with Oak, Satin Wood, Rosewood, Walnut, and other market names 
nothing whatever is alleged botanically when these names are applied. They 
simply indicate that the woods sold under the names have certain similarities 
to a given timber, or certain qualities associated with it, so that they may be 
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