Yellow, or Georgia pine has a fine yellow color, and a beautiful grain and together they are very showy. It is harder than white pine and while it can be used where the latter cannot, it is not nearly as easy to work.
Cedar.
—This fragrant wood belongs to the pine family and it is nearly as soft as pine. There are two kinds of cedar and these are (a) red cedar and (b) white cedar.
Red cedar is the kind you want to get to make things of; it has a pastel red color and a fragrant odor and it is this latter property that makes it a good wood for wardrobe chests, for moths do not like it. Next to white pine it is about the easiest wood to work and it is especially nice for making all small articles, such as glove boxes, handkerchief boxes and the like.
Mahogany.
—Also and likewise there are two kinds of mahogany and these are (a) Honduras mahogany and (b) Spanish mahogany.
Honduras mahogany is the kind that cigar boxes are made of and it is much softer and lighter in both weight and color than Spanish mahogany. You can make all manner of nice things of the better grades of Honduras mahogany and, curiously enough, it stays glued better than any other wood. It is nearly as easy to work as pine and it takes a fine polish.
Spanish mahogany is like Honduras mahogany in name only. It is a fine, close-grained dark-red-brown or yellow-brown colored wood, takes a very high polish and makes the finest kind of furniture.
Oak.
—This is a strong, beautiful wood and is useful in making all kinds of furniture the design of which should be plain.