DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST TREES.

The subject of geographical botany is now exciting much attention, and very deservedly; for independently of its interest in itself, it is capable of throwing much light on the vexed questions of the nature and origin of species, and on the changes of climate which the earth has experienced in past periods. The Smithsonian Institution has just issued an interesting pamphlet on this subject relating to the Trees of North America, from which we make the following extract,* which refers to the mode of collecting specimens for purposes of accurate comparison, strongly insisted upon in the Jury Report, p. 221.

"Collections of the leaves, fruits, bark, and wood of our native trees are particularly desirable, and from as many localities as possible, in order to determine both their range and abundance, and also to decide those knotty points, as to true specific distinctions, which still perplex the most skilful botanists. The specimens from each tree should be kept carefully together, and the name of the locality and collector given in full. Without such collections no information as to the large genera of oaks, hickories, magnolias, and, in fact, most others, can be at all depended on or made use of. A good way of preserving a complete set from each species of tree is to obtain two pieces of the thick bark of the trunk about a foot square, taking care not to rub off the mosses or lichens, which are often very characteristic of the tree. Other specimens of bark from the branches, sufficient to show all its changes in appearance, and twigs with leaves, flowers, and fruits, may be pressed between the trunk bark, with sufficient paper of any kind intervening, to absorb all moisture. One change of this paper will usually be sufficient (especially if the

* Canadian Naturalist and Geologist, vol. vi. p. 223.

Y

bark is dry); and fruits, if large and hard, may be so fixed as to hang outside, wrapped in paper. Particular care is necessary to prevent mixture of specimens. Blocks of wood from the trunk and branches at various seasons are also desirable for experimenting upon.

"Observations as to the relative abundance of each tree at the various stations may be expressed numerically, thus: very rare, 1; occasionally met with, 2; not uncommon, 3; common, 4; very common, 5; abundant, 6, &c.; using numbers up to 10, and explaining them. Frequently several trees will be found so nearly alike in abundance as to require the same number. Notice should also be made of the nature of the country and soilwhether mountainous, rocky, gravelly, sandy, or swampy,-which will help to determine the limits of the natural regions."

EXTRACT FROM JURY REPORT. CLASS XXVI, 1855.

The following Tabular View of the woods used for furniture in Madras is contributed by Dr Cleghorn :

Common Furniture.-1. Chittagong-wood; 2. Teak-wood; 3. Tun-wood; 4. Jak-wood.

Carved and Ornamental Furniture.-1. Ebony; 2. Blackwood, or East Indian Rosewood; 3. Satin-wood; 5. Kiabuca wood.

1. Chittagong wood (Chickrassia tabularis) is more used at Madras in the making of furniture than any other wood. It is light, cheap, and durable.

2. Teak-wood (Tectona grandis) is probably the most durable of all timbers; it is very hard, and very heavy. It is extensively used for bullock trunks, and for house and camp furniture, for which it is well adapted, as it does not split. (The increasing price has diminished its use for ordinary purposes.)

3. Tun-wood (Cedrela Tuna) resembles its congeners, chittagong wood and mahogany, and is very much used for chairs and other furniture all over the Peninsula.

4. Jak-wood (Artocarpus integrifolia) is an excellent timber, at first yellow, but afterwards brown; when made into tables and well kept, it attains a polish little inferior to mahogany. In England, it is used as well as satin-wood for making backs of hair-brushes, &c.

1. Black Ebony (Diospyros melanoxylon), and other species. This well known and much admired wood (lignum nigrum non variegatum?) is very hard, heavy, and susceptible of a high polish. It is seldom obtained of great size.

2. E. Indian Blackwood or Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) is an excellent heavy wood, suited for the best furniture. It can be procured in large quantities, and of immense size, especially in Wainad; the wood contains much oil, which is exhibited in Cl. IV. (by the Gangam Local Committee.) In large pannels it is liable to split.

3. Satin-wood (Swietenia Chloroxylon) is hard in its character, and, when polished, it is very beautiful, and has a satiny lustre; it is much used for picture frames, rivalling the birds-eye maple of America. It is occasionally used by cabinetmakers for general furniture, but it is liable to split.

4. Sandal-wood (Santalum album) is found in abundance in Mysore and Canara; it is chiefly remarkable for its agreeable fragrance, which is a preservative against insects. It is much used in making work-boxes, walking-sticks, pen-holders, and other small articles of fine ornament, but cannot be procured of a large size.

5. Kiabuca-wood, or Amboyna-wood (Petrospermum indicum). A handsome specimen of this ornamental wood is exhibited by Dr Sanderson. It is imported from Singapore. It is beautifully mottled, of different tints, evidently produced by excrescences from the tree. The wood is chiefly used for inlaying, or for making desks, snuff-boxes, puzzles, &c. These are exhibited by the Madras Local Committee.

In accordance with the suggestion thrown out by the Jury (p. 218), rewards were offered at the School of Arts for woods adapted for wood engraving. Specimens were consequently sent to Dr Hunter, and experiments made by him, the results of

which are furnished in the following communication which appeared in the Edinburgh New Phil. Journal, July, 1860.

The Guava (Psidium pyriferum) was found to be close-grained and moderately hard, with a thin bark and pretty uniform texture of both the outer and inner parts of the wood when cut across the grain. It cut easily and cleanly like firm cheese, and gave delicate lines; but being softer than boxwood, it did not stand the pressure of printing, though it yielded very good impressions with a burnisher. The art of printing from woodcuts, for illustrating literature in India, being in its infancy, many of the early impressions were spoilt from too heavy pressure. For four or five years the guava was used, and answered well for bold engraving, and for cutting blocks of large letters; attempts to cut small letters upon it for a Tamil alphabet proved a failure, though the large Tamil and English alphabets succeeded well, and were useful for several purposes, as printing large school and diagram letters, stamping on cloth and clay to get letters or numbers for use in schools. The guava-wood was found to vary much in texture, the large trees yielding a soft, coarse wood, while the small wood from hilly districts was hard and fine in the grain. Samples sent to England, and tried for engraving, were pronounced to be too soft, and inferior to English boxwood.

The Satin-wood (Chloroxylon Swietenia) proved to be hard, but uneven in the grain, coarse in the pores, and, like many woods of a large size, harder and denser in the centre than near the bark. Under the graver it was found to splinter. This wood was condemned, as unsuited for wood-engraving, both in Madras and England.

The Palay (Wrightia tinctoria). The native name is vague, being applied to a number of woods that have a milky juice. The wood, however, is better known to the public as one from which native toys are frequently turned. It is a pale, nearly white wood, close and uniform in the grain, but too soft to stand printing. It cuts smoothly, but does not bear delicate crosshatching. It was pronounced unfit for wood-engraving in England, though well suited for turning, carving, and inlaying with darker woods.

Veppaley (Wrightia antidysenterica) was found to be very hard

in the centre, but soft in the outer portions, and liable to the attacks of insects. On examining this wood under the microscope it gave promise of being suitable for the purpose, from the closeness of texture and the polish left by the chisel in cutting it across the grain, but the uneven quality, and the softness of the outer parts, showed that it was not fit for engraving. Its chief use is for posts and rice-beaters.

Sandal-wood (Santalum album) proved to be the nearest approach to the boxwood in working quality, hardness, and durability under pressure. This is a moderately-sized wood, with thin bark, which is usually a criterion of fine even grain. It cuts smoothly, the chips curl well under the graver, and the oily nature of the wood seems to preserve it from splitting when wet. There are considerable differences in sandal-wood, according to the locality from which it is procured, the small, dark-coloured wood of 5 inches diameter, grown on dry rocky soil, being the best. Many hundred engravings have been executed upon this wood, and it has been found occasionally to equal boxwood, though not quite so hard. It is an elastic wood that hardens on exposure to the air, and stands a good deal of rough usage in the press; some blocks have yielded upwards of 20,000 impressions without being worn out. The large pale sandal-wood is not so good as the small dark kinds. This wood was not tried in England, its price being too dear; but on comparing it with boxwood, which sells in England for one penny the square inch, it was found to be cheaper in India than boxwood in England.

The Ber-fruit tree (Zizyphus Jujuba) gave good promise under the microscope, but proved to be a soft, spongy, light wood, that did not stand cross-hatching or pressure. It is used for native sandals.

The wood of the wild orange (Citrus Aurantium) bears a strong resemblance in appearance to box in working qualities, and is often as hard, but, like the sandal-wood, the small old trees from the hilly districts yield the best wood for engraving. It has a thin bark, a bright yellow colour, and a uniform and close texture. The cultivated or garden orange has a coarse wood with an uneven texture.

The small tree (common in the gardens of Madras) known as