454 AUSTRALIAN NATIVE PLANTS. 
from the butt. The dimensions of the serviceable logs which the 
trees yield will, therefore, depend much upon its soundness; but 
unquestionably very large scantlings can be procured from it if 
required. The wood is of a pale straw colour, hard, heavy, 
moderately strong, tough, and with the grain twisted or curled. 
In seasoning, deep shakes occur from the surface, aud it shrinks 
and warps considerably. 
“‘T remember to have seen in one of the Royal Dockyards some 
extremely long and broad planks, or thick stuff, of this description 
of timber, which had been apparently flitched from some of the 
hollow trees before referred to. These, after being kept to season 
for a while, warped and split to such an excessive degree that it 
was impossible to use them for any planking purpose whatever. 
In consequence of this defect it was found necessary to reduce the 
planks to very short lengths, in order to utilize them at all, and so 
they passed to quite inferior services. 
‘‘A specimen log of Blue Gum, 31ft. x 24in. x 28in., was for- 
warded with other woods to the London Exhibition of 1862 by the 
Tasmanian Commissioners, and this, at the close of the Exhibition, 
was transferred to the Woolwich Dockyard for trial, experimentally, 
in ship-building. It came in, however, too late, just when wood 
was giving place to iron in this branch of architecture, so that no 
favourable opportunity ever offered for its employment. This log, 
although of very large dimensions, had been cut clear of the centre, 
and very probably had formed part of one of the hollow trees before 
alluded to, consequently the tree to which it belonged must have 
been at the least 6 to 7ft. in diameter. A plank six inches thick 
was cut from it, which quickly warped or twisted two inches, and 
ultimately went to three-and-a-half inches, and stood at that in 
1870. Upon examination then, it was found to be full of deep, 
fine shakes, but otherwise it was not much changed, and there 
were no signs whatever of decay, although it had for a long time 
been exposed to the weather. It seems, therefore, likely to be a 
durable wood.” 
Four samples of this timber from Tasmania gave Mr. F. A. 
Campbell (Proc. R.S., Vict., 1879) the following values in pounds 
per square inch, for the tensile strength :—26,500, 24,000, 29,800, 
