JAMAICA. 



BULLETIN 



OF THE 



BOTANICAL DEPARTMENT. 



New Series.] JANUARY, 1901. 



BASTARD LOGWOOD. 



Messrs. George $ Br and ay to Director of Public Gardens. 

 Dear Sir, 



Can you tell us the reason that green Logwood cut crosswise with 

 a saw turns pale ? We are told from the United States that this is 

 Bastard Wood, in face of the fact that we have seen the same wool 

 cut both with an axe and saw exhibit different aspects. 



We need not tell you that with all wood so cut a claim is made and 

 an allowance obtained. 



We ask you to give publicity to this letter and your reply in order 

 to warn the public against this imposition. 



We find by wetting the ends so cut the dye comes out and no claim 

 is made on such cargoes, but this is not always practicable. 



REPORT BY DR. DUERDEN. 



In reply to a request for samples of the logwood exhibiting the 

 characteristics referred to in Messrs. George & Branday's letter, 

 several specimens of what is understood as bastard logwood were 

 received at the Museum, and also specimens of ordinary logwood 

 for comparison. The differences between the two are most striking, 

 and there should be no danger of mistaking the one for the other. 

 The so called bastard logwood is rather yellowish in colour, somewhat 

 recalling cashaw wood, and however long it is exposed to atmospheric 

 influences, never becomes so darkly stained as the dye-containing log- 

 wood. A newly exposed surface of the bastard wood also emits a 

 strong odour, which is not so marked in the true wood. On immers- 

 ing chips of the bastard wood in water, scarcely any colouration is pro- 

 duced even within two or three days, while in almost as many minutes 

 the dye-bearing logwood colours the water strongly. 



On sawing crosswise the true logwood the fresh surface produced 

 is certainly much lighter in colour than a surface which has 

 been exposed for some length of time, and may then perhaps be con- 

 fused with the bastard wood by anyone anxious to do so. But the 

 general surface of the block would be enough to show the absurdity of 

 this, and in wetting the fresh surface, even to a very slight degree, the 

 contained dye soon becomes apparent. 



Vol. VIII 

 Part L 



323862 



