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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
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Contribution from the Forest Service wali WE 
HENRY S. GRAVES, Forester Se esi 
Washingten, D. C. PROFESSIONAL PAPER February 9, 1917 
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TRUE MAHOGANY. 
By ©. D. Mrtyi, Forest Haaminer. 
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CONTENTS. 
Page Page 
Tia GROG ChIOM ee see en oat SE se fe djs sesiand supply. sts cnee so28 acca eee 9 
Womimonpnanyesey see in WIC Os a 3c esl DOT CatlOms sae tases Gomes ea eee 12 
Georraprical distribution: ... 622... 20%, 4 | Methods of logging and transporiation...._.. 14 
General characteristics of the wood.......... oi otanical cCharacteristicgs2 05) ais oe 15 
Characteristics of the wood from diZerent Minute characters of the wood............... 19 
SHEEP OHO lS Soko oiy Se a I  e 7 | Woods called “mahogany” ................. 22 
Markotavaluouse sats wi 9 
INTRODUCTION. 
The name “mahogany ” is applied commercially to more than 50 
different woods. True mahogany, however, is produced by only two 
closely related species of trees (Swietenia miahagoni Jacq. and 
Swietenta macrophylla King), which are natives of tropical America. 
These were looked upon as the same species (Swietenia mahagoni) 
until long after mahogany had become well known in the timber 
trade of the world, so that when a botanical distinction between 
them was finally recognized it was only natural that the same name 
should continue to be applied to the wocd of both. 
There appears to be a widespread popular belief that true mahog- 
any may be had from many parts of the world. As a matter of 
fact, true mahogany grows naturally only from the tropical part of 
Florida and adjacent keys and islands to the northern part of South 
America (fig. 1). The extensive commercial use of the name “ma- 
hogany,” either with or without a qualifying adjective, such as 
African, Indian, Philippine, etc., for so many other woods indicates 
that the characteristics and sources of supply of true mahogany are 
still imperfectly known. Some of these other woods in their struc- 
ture bear little more than a general resemblance to true mahogany. 
though skillful finishing may make them very much like it in out- 
ward appearance. The majority of them can be distinguished from 
62059°—Bull. 474171 
