May i, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



801 



TIMBERS IN USE IN THE STRAITS SETTLE- 

 MENTS. 

 Mr. Howard Newton, A. m. i. c. e., Assistant Muin- 

 cipal Engineer, Singapore, has published a useful 

 Beries of "Notes and Experiments on the Different 

 Kinds of Timber in Ordinary Use in the Straits Settle- 

 ments," inscribed to Governor Weld. The brochure 

 is well and clearly printed at the " Singapore and 

 Straits Printing Office." In some prefatory remarks, 

 Mr. Newton states what is patent to any person 

 visiting Singapore, that, what with trees felled for 

 timber purposes and jungles cleared and exhausted 

 by the Chinese gambier and pepper planters, it must 

 be merely a question of time how long supplies will 

 last, unless planting and conservation are resorted 

 to. These remarks will soon apply to the native 

 states as well as to the British settlements. We 

 quote as follows : — 



The Chinese are largely engaged in the trade of haud 

 sawing in the jungle and in felling and hewing squares al- 

 most everywhere within easy reach of water carriage, and 

 this kind of work has been carried on continuously since 

 the establishment of Singapore. The Johore Steam Saw- 

 mills, the property of H. H. the Maharajah of Johore 

 which have been working for about 20 years have con- 

 sumed vast quantities of timber, while the smaller saw- 

 mills more recently erected in Singapore must have helped 

 to make the forests thinner. It cannot therefore be 

 urged too strongly that, unless planting and supervision 

 of forests is inaugurated in these parts as in India, the 

 better kinds of timber will at no very distant date be 

 unobtainable. 



The chief source of supply in Singapore is from the 

 territory of Johore and the neighbouring islands, but 

 certain kinds of timber are also imported into Singa- 

 pore from Pahang, Sumatra and Borneo. 



The vast forests of the interior of Johore are still in- 

 tact, but owing to the want of roads perfectly unavail- 

 able. Alt the most useful kinds of timber, such as those 

 experimented upon, have disappeared from the banks of 

 the rivers, and it is only by penetrating farther into the 

 jungle or going greater distances along the coast that 

 they cau be obtained. That enlightened native Prince 

 the Maharajah ot Johore is now considering a proposal 

 to make a railway into the interior of bis territory. It 

 may reasonably be expected that the sale of timber alone 

 will recoup no small part of the expense of carrying out 

 the project. 



We take it for granted, that an ordinary iron 

 railway is meant, the wooden one, projected many 

 years ago by the Maharajah, having come to nothing. 

 We saw wooden railways on some of the Queensland 

 sugar works, but we noticed, that, in consequence of 

 irregular tear and wear, many portions were covered 

 with iron hooping. For temporary purposes even 

 green wood might answer and does answer in North 

 America, but in tropical climates the wood rapidly 

 warps. A good iron railway run through the vast 

 forests of Johore would serve not only for the con- 

 veyance of timber to the shipping port but for open- 

 ing up the country to cultivation. 



Mr. Newton selected twenty specimens of wood for 

 examination, of which, he states, eleven are in con- 

 stant use. The first on his list is known in Malay 

 as Seriaii, while botanically it is classed as a Hopea : — 

 The Seriah is a tall handsome tree probably belonging 

 to the genus Hopea of the natural order Dipterocarp- 

 aceae, an order of great forest importance as contain- 

 ing such good timbers as the " Sal " of India — and most 

 of the balsam producing trees of the Malayan Archi- 

 pelago. Seirah has not as yet been botanically named 

 although it has been in use for a considerable time, and 

 formerly was found in abundance in the Malay Peninsula 

 and Islands. 



101 



It is now becoming scarce, all traces of it near the banks 

 of the rivers having disappeared, the Chinese sawyers 

 seek far in the jungle for it, and fell and cut i'; up into 

 planks on the spot. The wood resembles coarse cedar in 

 grain and is of a light red colour. It is much used in 

 house-building for joinery work. It is not suitable for 

 beams or joists and is rarely used for that purpose. 



Besides the light red wood described, there is another 

 kind of Seriah in frequent use which the natives call 

 Seriih Iiatu or Sama. It is much closer in grain, heavier, 

 of a dark red colour, and far superior to the ordinary 

 Seriah. It is not so abundant as the other kind but is 

 much appreciated in house-building as it is admirably 

 suited to joiners work. It has considerable transverse 

 strength and _ is sometimes used for beams and joists in 

 sheltered positions. 



Both kinds of Seriah are employed for making furn- 

 iture, and large quantities of the light red kind in the 

 form of planks ate exported to China, India and Australia. 

 Next comes what the Malays call Darroo, or rather, 

 because of its abundance, Darroo-Darroo. Botauically 

 it is classed as Apodytes species, belonging to tho 

 natural order Olacineie. The family contains nineteen 

 or twenty Indian genera of trees, shrubs and climbers 

 which are of little use with this single exception of 

 a most useful aromatic wood. It is suited for 

 sheltered situations, or as posts in the ground. It 

 cracks if exposed. No. 3 in Mr. Newton's list has 

 the Malay name of Ballow, but no botauical equi- 

 valent is given. As this timber is said to have been 

 used in the Colombo breakwater, we quote the de- 

 scription given of it : — 



Unfortunately this wood has not been scientifically 

 determined. It is a fine, large forest tree, growing to 

 a height of 60 or 100 feet, and a diameter of from 3 

 to 6 feet. 



The wood is greatly esteemed and is procured prin- 

 cipally from Johore, Borneo and Pahang. The great 

 demand for this fine timber has caused a scarcity which 

 must continue as it is a slow-growing tree. It is much 

 used in Singapore for joists and beams and for all 

 purposes where strength and durability are required. It 

 is of a light brown color, tho shade of which deepens 

 with exposure to the air. It is a close-grained, tenaci- 

 ous, hard, heavy wood, but is not difficult to work. 



It has been called Johore Teak, although not belong- 

 ing to the natural order verbenacere. Why it has been 

 so named it is not easy to ascertain except that perhaps 

 it has a resemblance to that esteemed timber. 



plants of this tree are readily obtainable, the seeds 

 falling round the parent tree in large numbers, and as 

 it possesses so many good qualities it should be system- 

 atically planted. An inferior class of wood, which is 

 miscalled Ballow, is now being furnished by Chinese 

 saw-mill owners in Singapore. Although possessing some 

 of the characteristics of genuine Ballow, this wood can- 

 not be compared to it in point of durability. The differ- 

 ence cau be immediately detected by the colour which 

 is too light for real Ballow. 



Large quantities of Ballow have been exported to India, 

 Australia, China, and some to Ceylon, where it was used 

 in the construction of the Colombo break-water. 

 We referred to Mr. Kyle with reference to the con- 

 cluding statement, and this gentleman tells us that 

 he has searched the records of the breakwater in 

 vain for evidence that ever "Johore teak" was used 

 on the work ; " but," Mr. Kyle adds, 



" I find we used a lot of jarrah from the Australian 

 colonies and it did not do much good, as it will not 

 withstand the sun like our satin or mililla woods. 

 There is not a timber extent will resist the Teredo 

 vavalis, far less will jarrah or Johore in my opinion. For 

 laud work and general strength and durability in and out 

 of season, nothing can touch the good old teak from 

 Moulmein; and for rough tear and wear and use in the 

 sea, the native satin and milila are the best we have.'' 



The testimony borne to the value of the satin and 

 mililla woods of Ceylon is very important, from an autho- 

 rity so experienced and careful as Mr. Kyle. As regards 

 Australian jarrah, it is very disappointing to be told 



