THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



ON THE AMARANTH WOOD AND THE COLOUR OF WOODS. 



BY J. ARNAUDON. 



Of the natural products and more especially those which form articles 

 of commerce in the Colonies, there are several kinds of woods, the origin 

 of which, though they were formerly made use of by the Ancients, is almost 

 unknown to us. They are designated only by a local name, derived 

 either from their appearance, from a peculiar property of application 

 which they possess, or it may be from the locality which produces them. 

 Such a nomenclature can only be very artificial. Not to enumerate a 

 crowd of examples which the history of drugs would supply, I will con- 

 fine myself to one alone. I mention this because it forms part of the 

 subject of which I have undertaken to treat — viz., the study of woods. 

 It is neither the strength, colour, nor other physical properties, that the 

 apothecary and the druggist would first pay attention to. Their object 

 would be rather, to collect into one group all those woods, the action of 

 wbose extractive principle and animal economy was identical or analogous. 

 The chemist, in his turn, would class them by their immediate and pre- 

 dominating influence, or by that to which he attaches the most import- 

 ance. The cabinetmaker again will group them according tp the dispo- 

 sition of their colours and the direction of their fibres. The latter will 

 sometimes also take into consideration the odour, which is an essential 

 point in the eyes of the perfumer, whilst for the artillery-waggon builder 

 and for the shipbuilder, the most valuable properties are those of tenacity 

 and power of resistance to atmospheric effects. - 



When employed for fuel, woods are classed according to their calorific 

 power, their manner of burning, the nature of the flame they produce, 



VOL. III. G 



