Review of reviews and world's work . an area of 40 square miles, found only 60 trees,an average of less than i tree to 400 acres. True mahogany is the only species of theSivietenia maho^ani, the name Swietenia having been given to it in honor of thecelebrated Baron von Swieten, physician toMaria Theresa. It is distinctly a nativeof tropical America and frequently towersto a height of lOO feet, the trunk beingoften twelve feet in diameter. It is of ex-ceedingly slow growth ; and the time of itsarriving at maturity is probably not less than200 years. Occasionally small specimenshave been found i
Review of reviews and world's work . an area of 40 square miles, found only 60 trees,an average of less than i tree to 400 acres. True mahogany is the only species of theSivietenia maho^ani, the name Swietenia having been given to it in honor of thecelebrated Baron von Swieten, physician toMaria Theresa. It is distinctly a nativeof tropical America and frequently towersto a height of lOO feet, the trunk beingoften twelve feet in diameter. It is of ex-ceedingly slow growth ; and the time of itsarriving at maturity is probably not less than200 years. Occasionally small specimenshave been found in southern Florida, and asimilar tree, never reaching the height of itsAmerican relative, however, has been locat-ed in India. Africa, in addition to thereal, exports a false mahogany. It appearsthat the best mahogany is found between thelatitudes ii degrees and 23 degrees 10 min-utes north, the wood grown nearer the equa-tor not being of so good a quality. Cortes and his companions, after their 494 THE AMERICAN RE^IEIV OF A MAHOGANY LOG FELLED FOR THE AMERICANMARKET. (To be sawn when it reaches the northern mill.^ conquest of Mexico, used mahogany in theconstruction of ships between 1521 and 1540;and Sir ^Valter Raleigh found it excellentfor repairing his ships in the West imported into England in 1724, it wasrejected b} workmen as too hard for houseconstruction; but, partl_v as an experiment,partly as pastime, it was used by a mannamed VVollaston, a well-known cabinet- maker, in fashioning a candle box, andshortly afterward it became the popularwood from which to make furniture andother articles of luxury. The methods invogue for collecting the wood are still veryprimitive; and they are thus described by theBulletin writer: ^Mahogany cutting usualh commences earlyin the rainy season, from June to . The huntsman cuts his wa\ throughthe thicket to the tallest tree he meets, whichhe climbs, and from the top of which he sur-veys the surrounding c
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