ON THE FURNITURE WOODS OP COMMERCE. 4G7 



grained, from Cuba, Mexico, and Central America, in quantities varying 

 from 3,000 to 5,000 tons yearly. Thirty years ago the consumption waa 

 less than half that quantity. The red or pencil cedar of Virginia 

 (Juniperus Virginiana) is also imported, being serviceable for internal 

 joiners' work. The rare beauty of the sideboard top of the Australian 

 cedar root in the New South Wales court of the late Exhibition attracted 

 much attention.. 



Oak still retains its time-honoured place in Gothic furniture and 

 libraries. Wainscot oak is imported in logs from the Baltic, for cutting 

 into planks or slabs for furniture, or for pannelling rooms. 



Having noticed the principal woods imported in quantity, we may 

 now incidentally glance briefly at a few others deserving of mention. 

 And here it may be remarked that nearly all the ornamental woods used 

 are derived from tropical countries, although occasionally specimens of 

 woods grown in temperate regions are characterized by considerable 

 beauty. Tims the curled ash of Canada, from the beauty of the figure, 

 if better known, would be much appreciated by our timber merchants, 

 the pattern resembling the renowned Hungarian ash, a wood which was . 

 in great favour here at one time, and realized a high price, but could 

 not be obtained in large planks. 



The Laburnum has a wood of a darkly variegated colour, rendered 

 more beautiful by a lustre of metallic green, and when knotted is equal 

 to mahogany. The medullary plates, which are large and very distinct, 

 are white, and the fibres of a dark brown, a circumstance that gives 

 quite an extraordinary appearance — a peculiarity not to be observed in 

 any other wood. 



To the fine woods of our colonies, but scant justice has yet been 

 done in the way of publicity, either in the Jury Reports or through any 

 other medium. Such a magnificent collection of woods of all kinds, 

 many of them new and rare, from different countries, was never before 

 brought together, and it is very doubtful if it ever may be again. 



Many of these woods are as yet comparatively unknown ; the 

 difficulties in the want of labour, proper roads, and available means of 

 transport, have hitherto prevented the various treasures of the colonial 

 forests from becoming readily accessible to the requirements of our 

 artizans. 



Numerous illustrations were afforded of the suitability of many of 

 these woods for furniture, for'smaller articles of turnery and ornamental 

 workmanship, and for parti-coloured work in marquetry, wood mosiac 

 or Tunbridge ware, and Sorrento inlaying. Innumerable specimens of 

 cabinet-work, of the highest excellence, were seen to great advantage 

 and obtained universal commendation from competent judges. 



Many of these elegant pieces of ornamental work display ed the 

 peculiar beauty and figure, the closeness of grain, and, in some cases, 

 revealed the fragrant odours of the smaller woods and showed how well 



