104 OF WOOD IN GENERAL 



of the country ; whilst the Mahobohobo, valuable as a mine-timber 

 because it is termite-proof, abounds in the Selukwe and Behngwe 

 districts. Katope, resembling Pine ; Mbawa and Malombwa, re- 

 sembling Mahogany ; and Muwowa, used for native canoes, and 

 stated to reach an immense height, are also valuable species. 



Cape Box {Buxus Macowdnii) is far inferior to Turkey Box ; but 

 many of the cabinet-woods of Cape Colony, such as Stihkwood 

 (OcoUa lulldta) and Sneezewood {Pteroxylon utile), deserve more 

 than local repute. The remnants of the indigenous forests of 

 "Pencil Cedar" {Widdringtonia juniperoides) will repay strict 

 conservation, whilst one of the most important industries of the 

 future will be the growth of the Maritime Pine [Pinus Pindster) 

 for railway-sleepers. Natal has 165,000 acres of forest ; but 

 depends largely for firewood upon the rapid-growing Eucalyptus 

 and Oasuarina which have been introduced from AustraMa. Some 

 of the indigenous timbers, such as Essenboom, or Cape Ash [Eche- 

 hergia capensis), Assegai-wood {Curtisia faginea) and Umzimbit or 

 White Ironwood {Todddlia lanceoldta) may prove worthy of atten- 

 tion, especially by cart-builders. Like the as yet undetermined 

 Pink Ivory, a singularly beautiful wood, they unfortunately grow 

 mostly in kloofs or other somewhat inaccessible situations. 



In 1898 Cape Colony imported over 3 J million cubic feet of rough 

 timber, of which over 2,600,000 cubic feet came from Sweden, and 

 2 milHon cubic feet of planed timber, of which over 930,000 cubic 

 feet came from Norway, and 691,000 from Sweden. In the same 

 year Natal imported 1,687,000 cubic feet of rough timber, of which 

 1,292,000 were from Sweden, and 1,150,000 cubic feet in planks, 

 918,000 cubic feet of which were from the same country. 



Three-quarters of the area of the island of Madagascar is stated 

 to be forest, mainly as yet untouched. Its woods are as yet httle 

 known botanically. They include one or more Ebonies, a " Violet- 

 wood " (perhaps an Acacia) and a " Rosewood," besides a valu- 

 able hard redwood suitable for joinery, known as '' Lalona." 



South America. — Timber does not form an article of export 

 from the southern or western portion of South America ; but 

 Argentina is now becoming a considerable exporter of timber, and 

 Brazil resembles Austraha in the extent and variety of its forests. 

 At the Chicago Exhibition of 1893 no less than 440 different Brazihan 

 timbers were exhibited ; but unfortunately many of these have 

 not yet been botanically identified. It is stated that some of the 

 species vary much in durability according to the situation in which 

 they are grown ; that some of them are too hard and too heavy 

 for many ordinary purposes ; and that the absence of railway 

 facilities for transporting: the timber to the coast has much reduced 



