2IO TIMBER AND TIMBER TREES. [chap. 



botanical sense, but is a large tree of the natural 

 order Meliacece growing in the forests of the lower 

 Himalayas, Bengal, Burmah, and South India. It is 

 not mild enough for pattern-making, but, for general 

 purposes in the domestic arts, it might be used in lieu 

 of the better kinds of Cedar from Cuba and Mexico, 

 whenever these are scarce in the market. 



The Thitkado is subject to heart and star-shakes, 

 and in seasoning is very liable to split from the surface 

 if left long in the round or unconverted state, conse- 

 quently we need not look for any very extensive 

 business to be done in it. There have been some im- 

 portations of this wood into the London market, and to 

 the Continent. It is very valuable as a furniture and 

 cabinet wood, and has been for some time used in 

 Bengal and Assam for making tea-boxes, but the de- 

 mand exceeds the supply, and large trees are scarcer 

 than formerly. This Moulmein Cedar must be dis- 

 tinguished not only from the true Cedars [Cedrus) but 

 also from the Bermudan Cedars {Juniperus), both of 

 which are coniferous woods belonging to the Pine and 

 Fir family. In many respects the wood of Cedrela 

 resembles that of Mahogany. 



EBONY. 



The Ebonies of India are yielded principally by the 

 following trees : Diospyros Melanoxylon, throughout 

 India proper, and D. Ebenum of South India and 

 Ceylon ; D. Kurzii is the beautiful Andamanese Marble- 

 wood, one of the handsomest timbers in the world. 



The true Ebony, obtainable in fairly large masses 

 and very heavy and diilficult to extract and work, is the 

 heart-wood of D. Ebenum, This is a large tree with a 



