The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-01-14
ARISTOCRAT.
IN CENTRAL AMERICA
The King of Furniture Woods-Methods of Cutting,
With the Hunters in Their Camps-New Banana
Plantations-Central American Cattle
Copyright. 1912. by Frank 6. Car
poDteT.)
PORT BARRIOS. Guatemala.

N''Ps'fShe iVIss " VI fN0I~
peDte4.)
PORT BARRIOS. Guatemala.
l write o from the edge of Ma
which lies at the foot Of the Guate-
riala mountains. back OF Port Bar
rios. han hundreds Of mahogany trees,
Rhich are being cut down nv the
United Fruit Company, that the land
nj be used for banana plantations.
The mahogany is SO valuable that it
sells by the pound, and a few trees
would make a good income. / have
been In the mahogany country on
and on ever since 1 left Panama, and
I learn that valuable timber Is being
taken from the northern part OF the
Panama republic. l found them ex-
plotting the forests in Costa Rica and
Nicaragua, and am told hat many
mahogany camps are now wbrking
in both British and Spanish Hon
Iuras. There + American lumber
mel sending mahogany to Panama
all along the west coasts OF Central
america. The logs are sent Over the
isthmus by rail. and thence shipped
10 Europe or the United States. The
trees they are now cutting here sui
Die in the clearing, but they will be
taken by train to Port Barrios, and
thence shipped.
Central American Mahogany.
The mahogany Of this part of the
world is the real article. We have
~ so-called mahogany in the Philip
pines, and there are false mahoganies
ljn Nigeria, Ceylon, Madeira and Cali
'fornia. The true mahogany, the wood
which makes the finest furniture on
earth, comes from this region. 1t is
found in the lowlands along the east
coast from Mexico to Panama, and
also in Colombia and Venezuela and
lin the stands of the Caribbean sea
The trees are magnificent. | have
seen some one hundred feet high and
thirty-six feet in circumference. Not
81 few rise sixty feet above the ground
before the branches begin and some
are SO large that five men, Joining
hands, cannot encircle them.
There is no such thing as a ma,
hcgany forest. The trees do not grow
close together, but at wide distance:
apart; and the mahogany hunter:
climb the highest trees of the fores
and pick out the mahoganies by theil
bright colored caves. The leave:
change from season to season n a.
itimeS they are as Orgeou DIS Oul
Faeaves in autumn. The hunter marks
h mahogany by the color and thel
leads the cutters through the jungle
hacking a road to where h doomed
tree stands. Often only two Or thre'
Y NV AOeAAo vi I'LL >A
trees per acre are enough TO pay divi
end There is q record Of n cor
poration which had a mahogany con
cession of about $4,000 acres, tn
total yield OF which was only siXt,
trees or less than two per squar
mile. l doubt If 1t paid.
How the Logging Is Done.
The ordinary tree ought to be a
least a yard in diameter, and tn
average tree is usually one or tw
hundred years old before it is read
tor lumber. The most Of the WOO
is cut in the rainy season. but as tn
trees grow in the lowlands the haul
ijng can only be done in the dry sea
son when the ground is hard. A
soon as the trees are felled the
limbs are cut off and the logs ar
4hen taken to the nearest stream
They are RATED down 20 the marke
or they may go to the railroad an
he taken to the ports on the car
They are put upon S~hipbOard as 500
AS they reach port to prevent the
being attacked by the toredo an
ether boring insects. The wood is
valuable that il is handled like frui
Snd q close record is kept of it fro1
the forest to The hands Of h col
sumner. One Of the chief markets
London, and others are New lOf
and New Orleans.
In the Woods Of Honduras.
A great deal of u best mahogaI
now comes from British Hondura
and We get much also from the HOl
siuras republic. The British HOl
Iuras timber is exported from Beliz
which is not very far from Port Ba
rios, and l am told hat the veal
Of that town has largely come fro
his trade. The forests are exploit
by lumbernen, who hire gangs
natives for the season, and have Il
exporting houses to advance the pr
visions and cash to carry on thu. Gu
ting. The labor contracts are usual
made during the Christmas holida!
the men being hired by the year. S
months wages are usually paid
advance. one-half Of which is in goo
and the other half cash. The lul
bCrmen are as dissipated as are tho
of our own and other countries. a