THBGUBAREVlEW 21 



tree grows in practically all forest districts of Cuba, attains a good size, often being 

 2 feet or more in diameter, lias a rough black ratlier scaly bark, thin white sap, and 

 a solid sound heart of deep red wood, from which the sap flows in abundance when 

 fresh cut, the sap also having the deep red tinge of the wood itself. This wood lends 

 itself for all cabinet purposes. 



In certain limited districts in Cuba are foimd forests composed almost entirely 

 of rose wood, locally called "yarrua." Unfortunately the tree reaches only small size, 

 14 to 16 inches in diameter being the largest that the writer has ever seen. Its stem, 

 however, is very straight, and as a large portion of the trunk is composed of heart, 

 this tree could be utilized for making veneer. The bark is smooth and fairly dark ; 

 •'the sap is a yellow white, but the heart is composed of alternate concentric rings of 

 deep brown and dark red or yellow wood, which makes it extremely beautiful. Un- 

 fortunately in most sections the tree has a tendency to grow with splits or shakes 

 running through the heart, so that a perfectly soinid tree is rare. In eastern Cuba the 

 wood has not a good reputation as a decay resister, so that in this part of the Island 

 it is very little used, but in the west, where the tree grows upon a very rocky soil 

 and where growth has, of course, been very slow, it is regarded as the longest resisting 

 timber that we have, and is very extensively used for corner posts and in other 

 places in our native tobacco barns and rural dwellings. 



The woods just considered are those which, reaching large size, lend themselves, 

 as we have said, to cabinet work. There are a multitude of smaller hardwoods in 

 Cuba of fine grain, capable of taking a brilliant polish, and of beautiful colors, which do 

 not attain a size large enough to be utilized for general cabinet work, but which lend 

 themselves for inlaying purposes and for the making of small articles, such as brush 

 and mirror backs, etc. Among these are : "Yana," a small, usually crooked growing, 

 but very fine grained, straight-splitting, and easily worked wood, found along the 

 coast and growing in many places almost in brackish water. It is a wood that is 

 very highly prized as a source of charcoal, as the coal resulting is very hard and firm, 

 practically free from trash and burns with great heat and no smoke. "Yaiti" can 

 also be included among these small woods. This tree grows straight and slender, has 

 a white sap, but a deep brown heart, the brown being interspersed with lighter shades, 

 in some cases even with yellow. The wood is very dense, the grain very fine and a 

 beautiful polish is taken. "Granadillo" is another of these woods, though this tree 

 occasionally attains a diameter of 16 or IS inches. The bark is a grayish brown, and 

 the sap yellowish white, sometimes thin, but in many cases thick, while the heart 

 is a deep beautiful brown with deep black veins rmming through it. The wood is 

 quite hard, the grain fine, and it takes a beautiful polish. It is a favorite in Cuba 

 from which to make canes, in this respect ranking with ebony. This last -mentioned 

 tree is found only rarely, and mifortmiately its heart is usually so small as to be 

 useless, but when the heart is well developed its beautiful black makes it a favorite 

 among cabinet workers and among cane manufacturers. Occasionally a small tree 

 is found in which the line between the sap and the heart is very irregular, furnishing 

 material from which canes and other articles can be made, in which a portion of the 

 sap is preserved, thus offering a very beautiful contrast between the slightly yellowish 

 white of the latter and the deep pure black of the heart. Another tree known very 

 little, even in the Island itself, is the tortoise shell Avood or "carey de costa." This 

 is found growing on some of the Keys bordering the north coast of Camagiiey Province, 

 where it attains a size of S to 10 inches in diameter. The wood is extremely heavy, 

 very dense and fine gTained and capable of taking a brilliant polish, and its heart 

 is many colored, shades of browns, blacks and dark yellows merging so that articles 

 made from it are beautiful indeed. Were it more abmidant, we are sure that it would 

 be a favorite among all cabinet makers. 



For domestic purposes and special uses there are three kinds of trees which 

 grow to large size and which should be mentioned in any article relating to Cuba's 

 hardwoods. These are the "ocuje," the "yaba" and the "jucaro." 



