22 



BULLETIN 474, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



peeially abundant in mahogany grown in dry, rocky soils as, for 

 example, in Florida and Cuba. 



Pith rays are from 1 to 4 cells in width, and from a few to 20 

 or more cells in height. The individual cells of the pith rays are 

 generally rectangular in form and radially elongated, as seen in 

 transverse and radial sections. The upper and lower rows (marginal 

 cells), however, are elongated in the longitudinal direction. These 

 marginal cells have thinner walls and less numerous pits than the 

 other cells of the pith ray. Pith-ray cells have thin walls and pos- 

 sess only round simple pits. The pits, except where they are in con- 

 tact with vessels, are large and simple, often slightly bordered. They 

 are most numerous in the end walls. All the cells of the pith rays 

 contain an abundance of reddish-brown coloring matter. 



To determine the average length of the wood fibers of true mahog- 

 any and the effect of different climatic and soil conditions upon their 

 length, samples of mahogany from the six regions were selected for 

 examination under the compound microscope. The material was 

 macerated by means of Schultze's maceration mixture, and the fibers 

 measured. From these data averages were computed. 



One hundred fiber measurements were taken from each individual 

 block, and their averages computed, with the results shown in Table 

 IV. The maximum and minimum lengths for each set of blocks are 

 also given. 



Table IV. 



-Length of wood fibers of true mahogany from different localities, in 

 millimeters. 



Source of material. 



Average. 



Maximum. 



Minimum. 



Honduras 



1.747 

 1.324 

 1.271 

 1.234 

 1.176 

 1.136 



2.2P8 

 1.638 

 1.722 

 1.680 

 1.470 

 1.428 



1.218 





.882 





.882 



C uba 



.840 





.882 



Florida 



.840 









1.315 













WOOD CALLED " MAHOGANY." 



The following cabinet woods resemble true mahogany in one 

 or more characters, and on this account a good many, if not the 

 majority, are marketed as mahogany of the particular region or 

 country from which they are obtained. Some, however, occasionally 

 come to the market under names of local origin. 



FROM INDIA, CEYLON, ANDAMAN, EAST INDIES, AND BORNEO. 



Madeira mahogany or Vinacito, Persea indiea Spreng. 



Mahogany or Andaman Padouk, Pterocarpus dalbergioides Roxb. and Ptero- 

 carpus indicus Willd. 

 Borneo mahogany, Palo Maria or Poon, Calophyllum inophyllum L. 

 East Indian mahogany, Soymida febrifuga A. Juss. 



