04 PLANTS OF NEW ZEALAND 



bullocks, anyhow, over and through the bush, breaking down 

 the thick undergrowth as they pass. The timber shrinks very 

 little if cut at the dormant season. It is used for general 

 building purposes, — for houses, bridges, wharves, and for boats, 

 masts, deck-planking, etc. 



The whole tree is extremely resinous. Even the leaves of 

 fallen trees shew small white patches of gum when they begin 

 to shrivel, while large masses often form in the forks of the 

 branches. Climbing for gum is a difficult and dangerous task. 

 The fact of the barrel of the tree being so huge, and rising so 

 high without a branch, renders the usual kind of climbing 

 impossible. A piece of weighted tw4ne attached to a rope is 

 flung over the lowest bough, and the rope is hauled up over the 

 branch and down the other side. The climber then ascends 

 the rope, gains a foot-hold, and cuts out the gum from the 

 forks of the branches. A good tree-climber is said to make i:3 

 or £4 per w^eek, but men sometimes come to their death in 

 this dangerous work. The resin of the highest value, 

 however, is that which has been fossilized, and which is dug up 

 on lands where kauri bush once stood. This is the kauri gum 

 of commerce. Clear, transparent pieces command a high price, 

 and are used in place of amber in the making of small 

 ornaments. The scrapings and dust are used in the 

 manufacture of fire kindlers ; the gum is used for varnish. 

 Sometimes clear pieces of gum are found in which are 

 embedded cones, leaves, small insects, etc. These specimens 

 are much admired. The colour of the gum varies from a pale 

 lemon-yellow to a reddish-brown, or even black. When the 

 children of the settlers desire a little pocket money, they will 

 often ask permission to go gum-digging in some newly ploughed 

 paddock, and are usually rewarded within a few hours by a 

 find of gum which will fetch several shillings at the store. 

 The price of the resin varies from i'60 to £120 per ton. Gum 

 digging is the great resource of those who cannot find work 

 elsewhere, as a merely nominal fee is charged for digging on 



