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Hardwood Collection

(Continued from page !8 )

30 feet and the outer layer of bark, by annual additions from within, gradually becomes a thick. soft mass.

The first stripping of the cork takes place when the trees are from l5 to 20 years old. Subsequently the bark is removed every 8 or l0 years.

The tree continues to live and thrive under the operations for 150 years and upwards, the quality of the cork improving with each stripping.

A third species explained is:

GREENHEART (Ocotea rodiei)

Growing in British Guiana and the West Indies. this wood is very strong and hard, and the heartwood is resistant to worms and decay. For this reason it is used as piling in the construction of docks, in shipbuilding, and for flooring.

The logs must be sawn with care. Immediately after the saw has entered the log and air is admitted, the log may split apart with a loud explosion.

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Many people are allergic to this wood. Those working with it must be careful of splinters. which have a poisonous effect.

CACAO ( Theo bromo cocao )

This tree is the source of the chocolate we eat and drink. Native to Southern Mexico and Central America, it is small (16-25 feet) and produces pink flowers. The seed pods, each containing 5-12 seeds or more, grow on the trunk.

Columbus was first to find the bean, however Cottez brought it to Mexico. The drink was confined to the wealthy. And the seeds were used as money, a substitute for small coins as late as 192O.

Contains oil used in making ointments. Early Mexicans believed if a person drank chocolate for breakfast, the bite <if a poisonous snake would not be fatal to him.

Lest there be too many words and not enough woods, we limited ourselves to these four, but many of the rare and unusual samples have great lore to accompany them. From timeto-time we plan to change the "stories".