206 WOODS OF COMMERCE 



Magnolia, Large-flowered {Magnolia grandiflora L. : Order 

 MagnoUdcece). Southern United States. ''Big Laurel," ''Bull 

 Bay." Height 70 ft. or more ; diam. 3 ft. White, heavy, soft, 

 not strong. Suitable for cabinet-work and interior jSnish. 



Mahoe, Blue {Hibiscus eldtus Sw. : Order Malvdcem), Tropical 

 America. ''Tulip -tree." S.G. 722. WM-5— 49. Brownish-grey, 

 occasionally shaded with dark blue, peppery when worked, hard, 

 coarse-grained, very flexible, longer in fibre and more durable than 

 Ash. Used for gunstocks, carriage-poles, fishing-rods, etc. 



Mahogany originally {Swietenia MaMgoni L. : Order Melidcece), 

 Centra] America, Mexico, Cuba, and other West Indian islands. 

 " Spanish " or " Cuba Mahogany," and " St. Domingo " are local 

 names. French "Acajou." Germ, " Mahagoniholz." Span. 

 "' Caoba." Height 5 — 50 ft. to the branches ; diam. 1 — 4 ft. 

 S.G. 560—880. W35— 67, E 560—650 tons, e' Ml— 1-9. 2>'*97— 

 1-06. / 4-46. ft -76—7. fs '15—25. c 2,998—3,791. c' -396— 

 •5. fc 3-3— 3-5. v' -772—953. When freshly felled light reddish- 

 brown, soon darkening on exposure to light ; vessels equally dis- 

 tributed ; annual rings distinct ; pith-rays fine, but distinct ; 

 sapwood only | — 1 in. thick ; heart generally heavy, hard, close, 

 and straight in grain, difficult to split, susceptible of a very high 

 polish, with a beautiful satiny lustre, and sometimes with a wavy 

 figure that xnnch enhanceB I valu; as a furniture wood. The 

 figures are known as *' roe," '* mottle," " cross-mottle," " dapple," 

 " fiddle-back," " plum-pattern," and " curls." It docs not, as a 

 rule, shrink or warp, and is superior to all other woods in taking 

 a firm hold of glue : it is also durable, and almost non-inflammable. 

 Of the varieties above enumerated Cuba or Spanish Mahogany 

 yields accurately squared timber 18 — 35 ft. long and 11 — 24 in. 

 square, very soUd at centre, rarely affected by cup- or star-shake, 

 and with insignificant heart-shake- Its specific gravity ranges 

 from 720— 817. W 53. e' 1-71. ^^^ 1-06. c 3,791. c'-5. z^' -953. 

 Prom the time of Cortez and Ealeigh, in the sixteenth century 

 down to the eighteenth, Mahogany was used as an Oak-substitute 

 in ship-building for beams, planks, and stanchions, whilst figured 

 logs demand high prices for furniture, but are now only seen in very 

 small sizes. St. Domingo Mahogany is very similar in quality, but 

 much smaller, generally 8 — 10 ft. long and 12 or 13 in. square, 

 though occasionally 25 ft. long and 15 in. square. It is very hard, 

 almost horny, a stress of 4,300 lbs. per square in. being required to 

 indent it -^-^ in. transversely to the fibres. It is mostly figured, 

 presenting a rich curl or feather at the bases of its branches. It is 

 now very seldom exported, and appears to be almost exhausted in 

 the accessible districts. There seems, in fact, to be very little 

 American Mahogany in the market which is truly SwietSnia Ma- 

 hdgonij the distinctive anatomical characters of which seem to be 



