Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-02

calamander, tree which grows the island of
Ceylon, where it is held in reverent ave. At one
time the trees quite plentiful there; but only
about ninety specimens remain, and all these are
numbered and jealousy guarded by the Govern
ment. The calamander trees are so precious that
when five pieces of furniture made of the wood
were exhibited at the Chicago Worlds Fair they
insured for two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars; but elaborate and skilled workmanship of
course entered largely into this valuation. The
wood is brilliantly rich and notified in veining when
polished; but it's almost priceless value is due a
good deal to its rarity. Anyone who could raise a
grove of caamander trees in his lifetime could be-
queath to his heirs fortune greater than that
tanned in gold or silver mine.
The question of making a wood profitable by
restricting its cultivation and cutting is well illus
trated in the sandalwood of India. For upward
of three hundred years the East India Government
has had monopoly of the sandalwood trade, and
realized to the stockholders Sandalwood is
deliciously fragrant, and cuts beautifully. AS
many as seventy-fve thousand impressions have
been made with the engraver's tools on a single
square inch. The method of preparing this tree
for market is peculiar. After it is cut down it is
allowed to remain on the ground until the myriads
of white ants of India have eaten up all except the
heart. 1t is only the heart of the tree that is
sidered very valuable and after the voracious ants
have done their work the precious wood is taken
away and shipped to market
From the Black Sea
CIRCASSIAN walnut, cut on the shores Of the
- Black Sea, precious wood that sells at fifteen
cents and more pound 1t is employed extensively
in veneering and inlaying, and when polished is
marked by striking lines of black and dark brown.
1t is susceptible of such brilliant polish that piano
makers and cabinet manufacturers prize it for high
grade work. The recent sale of ten thousand
dollar piano to millionaire reported, and
while some of its value was due to the inlayng of
precious mother pearl, the makers testified that
the woods used added several thousand dollars
to its cost. Naturally only skilful artists
ployed to handle these precious woods, and their
wages are high Each piece of wood is valuable,
no matter If it should be less than an inch in
length.
for it is employed in making dyes, chemical coloring
matter and even medicines. The sawdust of many
of the woods is also used in cleaning furs, that from
the light coored woods being in special demand for
Rosewood from Bahia white mahogany from the
west coast of Mexico, and satinwood from Santo Do
mingo other precious woods that cut into
thin veneers and sold by the pound or foot. Coco
bolo and granadila are woods much in demand for
making knife handles. Spanish cedar is still
important wood in the trade, and also snakewood,
Turkish lockwood is popular for wood engraving;
but amarillo the best for fine artistic work. 1t is
and beautiful wood, with many special
marks of excellence.
Wood highly polished and cut up into veneers
can be kept for centuries. The process of polish
ing fills the pores and makes the wood practically
impervious to climatic changes In the ancient
tombs and temples of Egypt wood used in
necton with stonework has been uncovered which
is supposed by Psychologists to be at least four
thousand years old.
certain purposes by age. Thus the best violins
made of old timber recovered from torn down
buildings. manufacturer of musical instruments
secured an option on the preserved tmbers in an
old dismantled building in New York and paid
double the price offered in the open market for
such wood. The timber then utilized for
making musical instruments, and proved in the
end rich investment.