THEOUBAREVIEW 19 



c. i. f. European ports, and no one here is in position to make such quotations. Many 

 requests also ask for prices "per ton" for mahogany and cedar, but such quotations 

 are impossible, as no one in Cuba has ever dealt in these timbers in this manner. 

 It will be a long time before shipping becomes so abundant as to permit a resumption 

 of the old time volume of trade in hardwoods, and when this time comes, it will be 

 found that there is only a relatively small quantity of such timber to be exported. 



We doubt if many of the other class of hardwoods, that is, the class that is used 

 almost exclusively for domestic purposes, are known at all to the wood worker beyond 

 tlie seas. Were this the case, many of them, we believe, would have come into con- 

 siderable favor as cabinet woods ; while others, due to their lightness and strength, 

 would have found application in wagon and carriage building, and for making num- 

 berless articles in which these qualities are necessary. 



Among these hardwoods is included the "acana." This is a tree growing prac- 

 tically throughout the Island, attaining a large size, often over three feet in diameter, 

 with a rough gray to black bark, thin white sap and a sound solid center of dark 

 red wood, which retains its color well upon seasoning. The wood is very fine and 

 heavy, is fine grained and easy to work with practically all cai*penter's tools. It is 

 considered a favorite among the Northern carpenters in their cabinet work, but is 

 used only to a relatively small extent by the native workmen. 



Another wood which is more frequently used by the native workmen and is also 

 a favorite among the Northern carpenters, is the "sabicu." This tree also is found 

 practically throughout the Island, and grows to an immense size. Its bark is very 

 characteristic, as it forms in loose rough scales, Avhich from time to time sluff off, 

 forming a pile of debris around the roots of the tree. The bark is brown to gi'ey, 

 and, like that of the "acana," the sap is white and thin. The heart of the tree is a 

 brown color, of slightly open texture, and resembling very closely the black walnut 

 of the North, and when properly worked takes a brilliant polish and seems to take 

 on that peculiar characteristic which makes the "cat's-eye" so beautiful, that is, the 

 wood apparently becomes transparent and one can see down through the exterior 

 into the beautiful grain of the interior wood. As we have said, this tree grows to 

 immense size, permitting planks 3 and 4 and even 5 feet in width to be gotten out, 

 so that it is quite a favorite for making into counter tops and fittings of the better 

 class store in Cuba. This is a wood which we believe Avould become a great favorite 

 if known to interior decorators of the North. 



Another, very largely used for cabinet purposes and for the making of furniture 

 in the Island, is the "majagua." This tree is found in every Province, and is specially 

 abundant in lowlands and those bordering streams, though in the high forest occasional 

 trees are found, these always being of better quality timber than those of more rapid 

 growth in the loAver lands. The tree as a general thing does not grow very tall, so 

 that usually only short logs are obtainable. The bark is characteristic, clear in 

 color, rather soft in texture, and consisting of a multitude of layers which can be 

 separated from themselves and from the trees after it has been beaten. The inner 

 fibers of this bark are utilized by the natives for making ropes for all domestic pur- 

 poses, but it is specially valuable in tying together the logs forming rafts to be trans- 

 ported in salt and brackish water, as this rope is very resistant to decay under these 

 conditions. As is the case with the three hardwoods already described, the sapwood 

 of the "majagua" is white and relatively thin. The heart, forming the larger part 

 of the tree, is a greenish gray color, occasionally tinted with the very lightest of 

 pinks. These colors frequently are found in the same tree, so that when the wood 

 is used the results are vei-y pleasing, caiasing articles manufactured from it to be 

 eagerly sought, especially by the Cuban buyer. This wood is not at all abundant 

 now in Cuba, but were this not the case we are sure that its introduction into the 

 United States would be met with favor and its use become quite extended. 



Another tree that furnishes a beautiful deep red wood, dense in texture, and 

 considerably §oftey tl^an the "^c.a»a" or mahogany, is the "almendro Colorado." This 



