South African P'orestry. 359 



siuck thev now have tu earn. There are immense areas of Jarrah and 

 Kari timber in Western Australia, in nearly pure forest, near the 

 coast, so that access is easy and suppUes assured. Kari timber is more 

 suitable for use above ground than in the ground, but Jarrah has a 

 \vell-e.stablished reputation for lasting in the ground ; and there is, I 

 think, no doubt that few better sleepers can be obtained than the 

 Jarrah sleepers of Western Australia. East Australia is naturally 

 fitted to produce equal or rather better sleei)ers. The Iron-bark 

 timbers of Eastern Australia are harder and even more 

 dural)le than Jarrah, and there are some half dozen other 

 Eucalypt timbers equal to Jarrah in durability. Hut East Australia is 

 comparatively an old settled country. It is 100 \ears shice the 

 British Colonists set to work destroying the forests ; and to-day, East 

 Australia cannot supply Iron-bark sleepers under 6s. tjr 6s. 6d. landed 

 here. The unique Cedar-wood of East Australia, Cedrcla ioona, is also 

 mostly destroyed ; and .so great and so utterly reckless has been the 

 destruction of forest in East Australia that even the luxuriant Black- 

 wattle has now become scarce. Xot many months ago an enquiry 

 actually came from Australia, to the Natal Black-wattle plantations, 

 asking at what price bark could be .shipped to Australia I The Black- 

 wattle tree came not ver}- long ago from Australia to South Africa, 

 and the Xatal plantations are entirely the work (;f the last few years. 

 However, to^ return to our sleepers. The Cape Government Railways 

 lately decided to lay down .special sleeper plantations, for which 

 purpose sites have been chosen near existing lines of railway, so as 

 to avoid the heavy cost of tran.sport to the railwav. The financial 

 ]>osition of these railway plantations is very striking. It is estimated 

 that they will co.st ;^6o.ooo or ;^7o,ooo, and in 20 or ^5 \ears will 

 bring in a perpetual revenue of ^100,000 per aiiiiuiii. This is 

 calculated on the basis of the present mileage of Ca])e Railways and 

 the prices paid for sleepers. The species of Eucalvpls that I have 

 selectefl for sleeper plantations are the following: — 



EUCALVPTS FOR SLEEPER PLANTATIONS. 



(i) E. paiiiculatd : an Ironf)ark. 



(2) E. pilularis ; Flintwood. 



(3) E. microcorxs ; Tallow-wo<Ml. 



(4) E. rcsinifcra ; a Jarrah-like timber. 



(5) E. saligna ; (^uick-gnnving good timber. 

 (E. marginata ; Jarrah. low vield.) 



These timbers are equal or su])erior to Jarrah. and Ihev are 

 more fast growing. 



SOFT-WOOD FOR SLEEPERS AND HOUSE BLTILDIXG. 



In spite of the fact that Soft-woo<l sleepers require the extra cost 

 of a bearing plate and of creosoting, they are now l)eing produced 

 largely, especially in plantations where the poor nature of the soil is 

 unadapted to the rapid growth of Eucalvpts. The s]»ecies which 



