64 TASMANIAN TIMBERS. 



SASSAFRAS (Atherosperma moschata). 



This tree grows in creek bottoms to a height of forty to 

 a hundred feet, and from twelve to eighteen inches in 

 diameter. It is a light timber, suitable for wooden pails, 

 brushware, casks, wooden screws, &c., and is a good wood 

 for carving; but it is essential that it should be cut when 

 the sap is down, or it very quickly decays if exposed to 

 weather. The bark and leaves have a pleasant bitter 

 flavour, and the extract is used as a tonic. 



