28 PRESENT AND FUTURE PROSPECTS OF 



cutting, and then, particularly in the case of sleepers and 

 boards, allowing them to season in the open air, but 

 under cover, will, in a great measure, prevent this, and 

 benefit the timber much. Your Stringy-bark of the 

 best quality, when well cut and seasoned and polished, 

 resembles a good deal our English oak, and might be 

 used for many similar purposes at a remunerative price,, 

 for oak is getting very scarce in J^^ngland, and fetches 

 high rates now. 



Respecting the value of Blue-gum and Stringy-bark 

 for paving purposes, I can scarcely speak with any real 

 authority, not having had any practical experience with 

 these two woods employed in this way. I have seen, 

 from personal experience, that the Australian Jarrahdoes 

 very well, and stands a heavy traffic without shrinkage 

 or apparent injury for a reasonably long period. The 

 only sample of wood-paving I have seen in Hobart is not 

 calculated to inspire much confidence or lead to larger 

 export orders ; but, then, 1 do not consider that the 

 wood has had anything like fair play. In the first place, 

 it is not laid on a good concrete floor, one of the very 

 first requisites for a wood pavement, either to serve for 

 any time or to look well. Besides, I feel certain that 

 the wood employed was not properly seasoned before 

 laying, and, under these circumstances, it would be 

 wrong to blame it, or to say that it was unfit for pave- 

 ment. Why not give it a good trial ? 



If you will allow me to say it, I think, with careful 

 scrutiny, you will be able to find a street in Hobart, 

 for choice the one with the heaviest traffic, which 

 could do with a new pavement. Why not take up 

 a part or the whole of it and pave it with Blue-gum 

 or Stringy-bark blocks, properly seasoned and prepared 

 six months before, and then laid on solid concrete 

 flooring ? You will then have an opportunity of 

 seeing and showing what the wood is worth in this 

 capacity, and, considering that you have it close at hand, 

 and that it is cheap, the cost would not be excessive ; or, 

 even if it did cost more than your present pavement, it 

 might be worth the difiference in bringing in orders from 

 other countries. Perhaps some wanderers to your shores, 

 if the trial proved successful, which, I am inclined to 



