. and discloses its winged seeds, which are soon after dispersed by the winds;some, falling into the crevices of rocks, strike root, then creeping out on the sur-face, seek other chinks or crevices, re-enter, and swell to such a size and strength,that at length, the rocks are forced asunder, to admit the deeper penetration ofthe roots, and in this manner, in process of time, increase to large trees. Geography and History. The mahogany is a native of the warmest parts ofAmerica, and grows plentifully in Cuba, Jamaica, and Hayti or St
. and discloses its winged seeds, which are soon after dispersed by the winds;some, falling into the crevices of rocks, strike root, then creeping out on the sur-face, seek other chinks or crevices, re-enter, and swell to such a size and strength,that at length, the rocks are forced asunder, to admit the deeper penetration ofthe roots, and in this manner, in process of time, increase to large trees. Geography and History. The mahogany is a native of the warmest parts ofAmerica, and grows plentifully in Cuba, Jamaica, and Hayti or St. are also many trees found on other West India Islands, on the Bahamas,and in South Florida. It was formerly very abundant in Jamaica, but the besttrees are mostly cut down in all accessible situations; and the same thing holdsgood in the other islands. The principal importations into Europe and theUnited States are made from Brazil, Campeachy, and Honduras. That whichis brought from the islands is usually called Spanish mahogany, but it is not. 128 SWIETENIA MAHOGONI. SO large as that from Honduras and Brazil. The trees are seldom fomid mclusters or groups, but single, and often much dispersed. The mahogany flourishes as well in India as in its native country. Dr. Rox-burgh, in the- Transactions of the Society of Arts, at London, for 1S06, statesthaftwo plants were sent from Jamaica, in 1795. to the court of directors of thebotanic garden at Calcutta, and that in 1S04, about five hundred trees had beengrown from them. And according to Mr. Royle. in his • Essay on the Produc-tive Resources of India,* published in 1S40, this tree thrives so luxuriantly inBengal, that many thousands of them are growing there, and even small piecesof furniture have already been made of the wood. The excellency of the wood of mahogany, for all domestic purposes, has longbeen known. It was used by the Spaniards in the XVIth century, in the con-struction of ships, for which purpose i
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