Excerpt from A Guide to the Identification of the More Useful Timbers of Nigeria

This brochure is the fist of a series which will, it is hoped, extend to the whole of the more useful woods of Africa. At present, however, we confine ourselves to those species only which have been sent to us by the Government of Nigeria for the purpose. Many of the woods are very widely distributed, in some cases ranging from Senegal to the Sudan and from the Cape to the East African Protectorate, hence our descriptions may be found useful by those interested in the timbers of the adjacent regions.

Our method of identification is based upon the examination of the solid wood by means readily applicable to all, after preparation (smoothing) with glass-paper, pumice-stone, the sharp edge of broken glass, by the plane, or even by the use of a hone. Each wood may demand a different method to bring it into a condition in which the structure will be clearly visible. Hence in comparing our descriptions it will be necessary to treat the wood in the same way as stated in the schedules in connection with each species under the paragraph "transverse section." The various tissues are thrown into relief by different processes, for example, the wood-parenchyma, or soft-tissue, is made visible by the use of glass-paper, whereas it is frequently obscured by the use of a plane. A corner of the wood cleanly cut with a razor will serve as a control.

The means of magnification are: a hand-lens affording about three diameters, and a hand-microscope (which we shall refer to as a "macroscope") giving about ten diameters. Our figures are all enlarged by three diameters, to accord with the image obtained by the hand-lens.

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