Chap. XXIV.—B. P.] 
ITS GREAT VALUE. 
411 
moon; for, although unaccountable, it is nevertheless 
the case that at that time the wood is sounder, has 
less sap, and is of a darker colour. The mahogany-tree 
may be cut down at any time during the year, but 
between October and June is the time selected, on 
account of its being the dry season. 
The great value of mahogany arises from its extreme 
durability, its extraordinary power of resisting the 
impact of shot, and its non-splintering properties; in¬ 
deed, it is marvellous that it has not been used exten¬ 
sively for the backing of our ironclads, instead of teak, 
which in no respect can compare with mahogany, not 
even in durability, while its weight is far greater, and 
it. is more easily splintered by shot than any other 
wood. 
The oak is the monarch tree in the forests of the 
temperate zone, and the mahogany in those of the tro¬ 
pics ; but the latter is in all respects the finer wood,— 
it shrinks less than oak, warps and twists less, is more 
buoyant, holds glue better, and weighs less. (The aver¬ 
age weight of a cubic foot of mahogany is forty-four 
pounds, while that of oak is fifty-five pounds.) Ma¬ 
hogany is very slow to fire and free from dry rot and 
the effect of acids; it is admirably adapted for building 
steamers, as it does not suffer from any change of tem¬ 
perature. 
The relative weight of Central American mahogany 
is, say, three hundred and forty feet to the ton. The 
specific gravity of seasoned Honduras mahogany is less 
than oak or teak in the following proportions. It is 
calculated that a vessel of one thousand tons, built of 
