Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-01
MAHOGANY MAKES
SOME MEN M|SERS
Beauty of Wood Also Gives
Basis for Production of
Masterpieces.

The question. what is rnahog.
any," has recently been raised again.
There are more than so answers TO
that question. More than so species
of timber have at one time or another
been put on the market under the
name of mahogany.
What of mahogany is a more
interesting question to the man who
buys 1t for his living ROOM" says a
bulletin Of the National Geographic
Society.
Mahogany, queen of furniture
woods, holds a scepter' and has held
1t for 200 years. There have been
hundreds upon hundreds of competi
tors. In what lies nlahogany's patent
to position? White pine has a softer
and more even grain. Oak is sturdier.
Other woods can be stained to re-
semble mahogany's natural, warm.
reddish tone. Teak Is superior for
carving. Circassin walnut and hard
naples often show far more entranc-
ing figure. Figure is a trees auto
biography revealed in the grain at
smooth polish surface.)
"Mahoganys position rests In part
on the characteristic, entwining light
and dark ribbons which play like the
tones in watered silk.
Inc IiOWlnS surface WHICi ma
hogany presents TO the eye. constantly
changing, constantly glowing. almost
lifts it out of the class OF inanimate
things in which all wood falls. II is
a quality which mahogany shares
with few other woods. But flirting
changeableness is false front.
Not many other woods resist warp
like mahogany. another outstanding
virtue in the estimate of the cabinet
maker. Mahogany also takes glue
we'll. And 1t must be granted that
mahogany has guarded its dowry
well. The tree takes up its residence
so deep in the tropical forest that the
world cannot afford TO make too many
paths to it. 1t is far enough away 10
excite mems interest and yet near
enough and abundant enough TO be
useful.
Chiefly Caribbean Source.
1.-THE United States imports ma.
hogany from the West Indies, Cen
trail America. South America. Africa.
France, England and Holland. But,
of course, the imports from France,
England and Holland are reshipments
of mahogany received from their re-
spective colonies. What is known as
true mahogany comes exclusively
from the Caribbean countries. The
Florida, blots all of Cuba and most Of
the West Indies; spreads along the
tropical coast of Mexico and extends
lover most of the area OF the Central
American Republics. through Pan
ANA. and bites deeply into the north
ern coast Of South America
British West African mahogany
figures more largely in American I'M
ports than logs from any country eX.
cept Nicaragua. 1t is an allied
species.
"Britain has foothold in British
Honduras largely because of mahoS-
any and Iogwood. The colony OF
wood choppers which was established
there needed protection of the crown.
In response to their needs the. empire
added another bit of red to the map.
But England probably deserves some
mahogany acreage because or Sir
Walter Raleigh He introduced not
only tobacco. but also mahogany, TO
Europe
Queen of Tropical Forest.
Mahogany comes by its queenly
rank among cabinet woods naturally.
1t is queen of the tropical forest. a
mature tree usually rises 100 feet TO
look down on the lesser tangled tim
Der. 1t rules unchallenged over an
acre or more of ground. The rots.
resembling Louisiana cypress, spread
ont before they reach the ground.
In the wasteful old days cutters
erected a platform 10 or IL feet high
10 escape chopping through so much
wood. Now the roots are priced Tor
their splendid figure. So modern cut
ting, following logging practice in the
United States, keeps close to the
ground. Logs are no longer squared;
another victory for forest thrift.
"In many places trains and barges
have DISPLACED the OK teams and
river floods as a means Of transporta-
ton to tidewater. Last year the
United States imported 72.000.000.00o
board feet Of mahogany "a board foot
| is / inch by IL inches by u inches,.
nearly nine times the imports 80
years ago.
"a single mahogany log will some
times bring as much as $4,000. No
| wonder. some men, entranced by the
beauty of the wood. have become ma.
hogany misers. There is a record Of
one such miser in England. He
boarded a few chosen logs in his
cellar. On no condition would he sell
them. Each day, it is said. he de
| seconded the stairs, lighting his way
with a, candle, and busted the logs
with a silk handkerchief. After his
death the logs were sold. Some OF the
miser's precious mahogany found It's
| way to America.
Masters Worked in Mahogany.
"The old masterpiece models for
| modern furniture, the originals which
good taste for two centuries has
| branded good, mostly are in mahog-
any. Thomas Chippendale was born
in Worcester early in the eighteenth
century. Members of his family were
wood workers. He grew up to be
wood worker. also, but he became
lover of beauty. Chippendales chairs
tables and cabinets, presented in his
catalogue entitled The Gentlemen's
and Cabinet Makers Director revo-
lutionized domestic furniture styles.
Many Chippendale designs are dupli-
Gated today in mahogany. which he
used more than any other wood.
Then along came Sheraton, min
lister. author. architect and cabinet
maker. 'Chippendale is all wrong
he said. Sheraton's style now is
standard also Then followed Hepple-
white and Company. Sheraton is all
wrong they said. Thereupon, they
created the Hepplewhite style. All
three masters in what is known as
England's Golden Age of furniture
making worked chiefly in mahogany.
Naturally the fact that masterpieces