The descriptions are partly derived from the above 
works and partly from my own research. 
To obtain the vernacular names of the different trees 
many of which are different in another part of the 
country, I secured the aid of reliable natives, whose 
information is more or less regarded as authentic. 
The remarks on durability were made after carefull 
investigation. The weights and coefficients of transverse 
strength I found out in taking the average of several 
results obtained in experimenting with wood specimens. 
It was not my intention to have ventured so far into 
the Botanical part, as this requires many years of quiet 
study, but merely to assist all interested in the building 
trade to whom a certain knowledge of the most 
important timbers for building purposes is essential. 
RUDOLPH GOTTE. 
