FUENITURE WOODS 85 



Gibbons, who was partly of Dutch descent, employed Linden and 

 other white woods for his inestimable carving ; and the work of 

 Thomas Chippendale in the eighteenth eentnry gave Mahogany the 

 popularity in England that Satinwood enjoyed at that time in 

 France. Heppelwhite and Sheraton employed Mahogany not only 

 for chairs, but for small articles such as tea-caddies, whilst in the 

 inlaid work of the period it was used, not only with other dark woods, 

 such as Rosewood, Laburnum, and Purple-heart {Oopaifera pubi- 

 flora), but also with Holly, Maple, and Pear. At the present day 

 Mahogany is used for dining-room furniture and veneers, though 

 much Oak, some of which is the Canadian Red Oak {Quercus rubra), 

 is used for the same purpose, whilst large quantities of Walnut 

 J'oglans nigra), Ash [Frdxinus americdna), Bass-wood (Tilia 

 americdna), Maple {Acer barbdtum), and Birch {Betula Unta) are im- 

 ported from North America for library and bedroom furniture, 

 stained or painted Deals being employed for yet cheaper goods. 

 Fifty years ago American Walnut was only used in England for 

 inferior purposes, such as framing for veneers ; but now it has much 

 advanced in popularity with cabinet-makers and shopfitters with 

 a doubhng of its former price. Another American wood of in- 

 creasing importance is the American Whitewood, or Canary White- 

 wood (Liriodendron tuUpifera), used for the seats of American 

 Windsor chairs, and, from its suitabiHty for staining or polishing, 

 rapidly beconuAg a favourite mth wooZworkers. Beech and Yel 

 are the staple woods of our Buckinghamshire chair factories, Ash 

 being used in bent wood- work ; whilst bamboo work and cane-seats 

 are somewhat outside our present scope. 



Among fumitnre woods in use in other countries we can only 

 enumerate a few : 

 In India : — 



Ebony {Diospyros spp.), 



Rosewoods or Blackwoods {Dalbergia Idtifolia, etc.), 



Sissoo (Dalbirgia Sissoo), 



Redwood {Adendnthera pavonina), 



Padouk {Pterocdrpus indicus and P. dalbergioides), 



Bija Sal or Bastard Teak [Pterocdrpus Marsupium), 



Margosa or Neem {Melia spp.), 



Siris {Albizzia spp.), 



Chittagong wood {Ghichrdssia tahuldris), 



Chatwan {Alstonia sdholdris), a soft wood, named from its 

 use for blackboards in Indian schools, 



Gumbar [Gmelina arbor ea), 



Toon, Mouhnein Cedar or Indian Mahogany {Oedrela Toona) ; 

 and Jack or Ceylon Mahogany {Artocdrpus integri folia). 



