i68 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



reasonably wide latitude were allowed in the use of plain wood in 

 mouldings, styles, and rails. A brief consideration of the foregoing 

 remarks on conversion will conclusively show the loss or waste of attempt- 

 ing to produce all the timber dead on the quarter, as it appears when split. 



Oak, African. Lophira alafa. Banks. Weight, 70 lbs. Tropical Africa. 



The produce of this timber is not often seen in our markets, although 

 J. M. Hillier in the Kew Bulletin No. 2, 1913, mentions that some was 

 brought to Liverpool from the Gold Coast, where it is known as Karkoo. 

 fie adds that "it is the favourite wood for railway sleepers and heavy 

 constructional work generally . . . [and] owing to its great weight and 

 the difficulties of shipment it has not yet received the notice which its 

 merits deserve." In a list of forest trees of the West Coast of Africa, 

 prepared by Sir Walter Egerton, it is stated that this timber is known 

 in Yoruba as " Tonhon " and in Benin as " Uqbeberi." Laslett speaks 

 of African oak, but from his description it is not clear that the wood to 

 which he refers is the same ; in fact, he names the wood as the produce of 

 Swietenia senegalensis or S. Khaya from Sierra Leone, and as I have seen 

 at least five different hard-woods from the coast, all of which have been 

 termed " African oak," and which, although all possessing similar qualities 

 of heaviness and hardness, differed materially in all other respects, it 

 seems impossible to be sure of the identity of the different varieties. 



Oak, American. Quercus alba, Linn., and other Quercus spp. Weight, 

 41 lbs. 14 oz. North America. 



The very important part which this wood plays in the timber supply 

 of this country is shown by the immense quantity imported every 

 year. The value in money has approximated to a million pounds yearly, 

 ranging from ^^675,000 during 1909, to over a million in 1913. Its use far 

 exceeds that of any other oak, and constitutes more than five-eighths of 

 the whole supply from abroad. This remarkable result is not due to its 

 superiority over other supplies so much as to the enterprise and energy 

 of the American merchant in providing it in a suitable manner and at 

 a moderate price, while its transport is facilitated by advantageous 

 railway and steamer freights. The timber so provided is the produce 

 of a great many species mixed indiscriminately. The sources of supply 

 have been continually extended as the available forests disappeared 

 under the woodman's axe, and the once famous Indiana white oak is 

 now no longer obtainable, at least for export. The result, so far as that 

 part of the shipments which is used for constructional work is concerned, 

 is not of consequence, as the present supplies are suitable, but for cabinet 

 and decorative work the mixture of the variety of grain and colour is 



