Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-07-13
Mahogany.


Inc mahogany tree is a native of the
West Indies, the Bahamas. and that nor.
ton Of Central America that lies ad-
iscent to the Bay of Honduras. and ha.
$50 Deen found in Florida. 1t is stated
70 De OF moderately rapid growth, reach
ing It's Iuii maturity in abont 200 years.
tuLi grown it is one of the mon
archs OF tropical America. Its trunk,
when often exceeds forty feet in length
anu SIX In diameter, and massive arms,
rising 10 lofty hight, and spreading
Win graceful sweep over immense
spaces, covered with beautiful foliage,
bright glossy, light, airy, clinging so
long 10 the spray as to make it almost
an evergreen, present rare combina-
ton OF loneliness and grandeur. The
leaves are small, delicate and polished
like those of the laurel. The fruit is
hard, woody capsule, oval, not unlike
the head OF turky in size and shape,
and contains five cells. in each of which
are lnclosed about fifteen seeds.
Inc mahogany tree was not discovered
TIL the end of the sixteenth century, and
was not brought into European use till
nearly century later. The first men
ton OF 1t Is that it was used in the re-
pair OF some of Sir Walter Raleigh
ships at Trinidad, in 1897. Its finely
vaI1egated tints were admired, but i'm
thst age the dream of Ell Dorado caused
matters OF more value to be neglected.
Tbe first that was brought to England
was about 1924, few planks having
been sent to DIR. Gibbons, of London, by
brother who was a West Indian Cap
tain. The Doctor was erecting house,
and gave the planks to the workmen,
who rejected them as being too hard.
The Doctor then had candle-box made
of the wood. his cabinet-maker also
complaining of the hardness of the
timber. But, when finished, the
box became an object of general
curiosity and admiration. He had
one bureau, and her grace of Bucking-
ham had another. made of this beautiful
wood, and the despised mahogany now
became prominent article of luxury,
and at the same time raised the fortunes
of the cabinet-maker by whom it had
been so little regarded. Since that time
it has taken leading rank among the
ornamental woods, having come to be
considered indispensable where luxury
A few facts will furnish a tolerably
distinct idea of the size of this splendid
tree. The mahogany lumbermen, hav-
ing selected tree, surround it with a
platform about twelve feet Above the
ground, and cut it above the platform.
Some twelve or fifteen feet of the largest
part of the trunk are thus lost Yet a
single log not unfrequently weighs from
six or seven TO fifteen tons, and some
times measures as much as seventeen
feet in length and four and half and
five and n half feet in diameter, one tree
furnishing two, three, or four such logs.
Some trees have yielded $4,000 superb
cial feet, and at. average price pieces
have sold for SIS, 900. Messrs. Broad
woods, London pianoforte manufac.
turers, paid $4,000 for three logs, all
cut from one tree, and each about fifteen
feet long and more than three feet
square. The tree is cut at two seasons
of the year-in the autumn and about
Christmas time. The trunk, of course.
! furnishes timber of the largest dimen-
sions, but that from the branches is pre-
ferred for ornamental purposes, owing
to its closer grain and more variegated
color.
In low and damp soil its growth is
rapid; but the most valuable trees grow
slowly among rocks on sterile soil, and
seem 10 gather compactness and beauty
from the very struggle which they make
for an existence. In the Bahamas, in
the most desolate regions, once flour
ished that curiously veined and much
esteemed variety once known in Europe
as Madeira wood" but which has long
since been eXterminated. Jamaica,
also. which used to be a fruitful source
of mahogany, and whence in 1853 not
less than 52l,0 feet were shipped, is
now almost depleted. That which is
now furnished from there is very infe.
rior, pale and porous and is less esteemed
than that of Cuba, San Domingo, OIL
Honduras. World.