TRUE MAHOGANY. 11 



Domingo mahogany within easy reach of water is now almost en- 

 tirely exhausted, and the logs coming from there, as well as from 

 Cuba, are from lands already cut over. In consequence, they are 

 small, crooked, and often of low grade. 



The best available mahogany timber lands of the American tropics 

 and subtropics are now largely controlled by American and English 

 concessionaires who, a number of years ago, when the p'rice of ma- 

 hogany was lower than at present, foresaw its future value and ob- 

 tained options on large tracts. Now it is almost impossible to obtain 

 a workable concession of mahogany timber at a price low enough to 

 permit lumbering at a profit. 



Mexico, Cuba, Central America, and South America are the chief 

 producers of mahogany, other regions within the range of the tree 

 contributing comparatively small quantities. British Honduras and 

 Mexico each supply nearly one-third of the total imports of true ma- 

 hogany. (See Table II.) 



English timber merchants have been exploiting mahogany in British 

 Honduras for many years, and at present several American com- 

 panies are also operating there. All these companies have their ship- 

 ping point at Belize, to which logs are towed principally down the 

 Hondo River. 



The State of Tabasco yields the greater part of the mahogany from 

 Mexico. The principal points in Mexico from which mahogany is ex- 

 ported are: Tecolutia, Frontera, Cazones, Laguna, Santa Ana, Tux- 

 pan, Tampico, Chiltepec, Campeche, Coatzacoalcos, Minatitlan, 

 Nautla, Tonala, Cheucan, and Tlacotalpan. 



Mahogany has been exported from Tabasco for a number of years 

 because the seacoast of the State has numerous bays and harbors 

 which are safe for large vessels at all seasons. Into these bays run 

 many large rivers, chief among them the Usumacinta, Iryobva, and 

 Tancockapa. The Usumacinta River is about 400 miles long, forming 

 a part of the boundary between Guatemala and Mexico, and is navi- 

 gable for nearly 240 miles above its mouth. The country all along 

 the river abounds in mahogany, and large quantities are cut annually, 

 brought to the river, and towed down to the landing points. At pres- 

 ent five American companies are operating within the State of 

 Tabasco, one of which is said to ship annually 5,000 tons, or approxi- 

 mately 2,500,000 board feet of mahogany. 



While very desirable mahogany comes from the other tropical 

 American countries, their production is considerably less. Some of 

 the finest mahogany comes from southern Florida and the adjacent 

 keys. On the keys the wood is called madeira, 1 and is commonly 

 thought not to be mahogany, but a different and much better wood. 



1 Not to be confused with Tamarindus indica L., the wood of which is sometimes known 

 as " madeira." 



