58 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



date from A.D. 1426 and are now consequently (1901) 475 years old, 

 as having been quite sound at the time he wrote. It resists the wet, also 

 white ants, and apparently does not suffer much from dry rot." In 

 the Palace at Versailles there is a richly carved gateway, above which 

 is inscribed : " L'Hopital des ChevaUers de St. Jean de Jerusalem dans 

 rile de Rhodes." It is made of cedar of Lebanon, and despite its 

 indubitable antiquity is in a state of perfect preservation. 



The timber also possesses considerable strength, and Pearson mentions 

 that it is used in India to make oars, bridge ladders, frames of parallel 

 bars, axle-beds of transport carts (for the Ordnance Department). With 

 these valuable qualities it is a pity that the wood derived from the fallen 

 trees is in this country generally burned or wasted. Mr. H. J. Elwes, 

 however, mentions one instance in which a cedar blown down on a lawn 

 was most successfully used by the owner to supply the flooring and 

 panelling of a good-sized drawing-room. 



As Cedrus is a conifer, the wood shows no pores, nor does it possess 

 any resin passages (though in certain specimens spurious resin passages 

 are induced). The annual rings are clearly marked, but the medullary 

 rays are invisible. 



Cedar, West African. Sources various. Weight, 39 lbs. 11 oz. and 

 40 lbs. 12 oz. West Coast of Africa. 



Among the many kinds of woods exported from the African West 

 Coast, and having the scent and some other characteristics of cedar, 

 there is one type that can be distinguished from all the rest by reason of 

 its considerable resemblance to the cedar of Central America. The logs 

 are imported in lengths varying from about 12 to 30 feet or more, 

 and in squares of from 20 to 40 inches or more, either round or 

 hewn square. The wood is of a light reddish-brown colour, rather redder 

 than Cuban cedar, also heavier and " stronger " in character. Being 

 somewhat cross-grained the wood shows a special type of banded figure, 

 and requires a sharp plane to obtain a smooth surface. The logs are 

 hable to star-shakes in the centre, making it difficult to obtain sound 

 wide boards, though they are almost entirely free from the " cross- 

 breaks " so common in West African mahogany. As this type of cedar 

 stands weU without warping or twisting, and has been obtainable at 

 prices lower than that of American cedars, it has been used to a 

 considerable extent as a substitute for the latter, despite its greater 

 weight. A few finely figured veneer logs have reahsed very high prices, 

 but the wood is not so favourably regarded for this purpose as mahogany, 

 as, after cutting, the veneers of cedar are apt to crack up in drying. 



The botanical sources of this type of cedar are not known. Professor 

 Groom says : " We may perhaps hazard the guess that species of 



