108 AMERICAN LUMBER IN FOREIGN MARKETS. 



feet and upwards. Clean symmetrical trunks may be seen from 50 to 

 80, or even 100 feet in length, varying from 5 to 12 feet and upwards in 

 diameter. 



The timber has acquired a reputation above all other New Zealand 

 timber from its value for masts, spars, and other purposes of naval 

 architecture, which, about the commencement of the present century, 

 led to its being exported for use in the British dockyards. 



In this colony, except for general building purposes, its use has been 

 chiefly confined to the north island, where there is abundant evidence 

 of its durability for more than forty years in some of the old mission 

 buildings at the Bay of Islands, the weatherboardiug of which to this 

 day exhibits no signs of decay. Kauri has been employed, in conjunc. 

 tion with totara, for the upper timbers of the Auckland wharf, the 

 largest work of its kind in the colony, and with most satisfactory 

 results. Braces, stringers, and tie beams are in good condition after 

 being eighteen years in use. Recently an old pier, built twenty-three 

 years ago, was removed, and most of the timbers, afterwards employed 

 in the construction of a railway in the vicinity of Auckland, were 

 found to be perfectly sound ; some, of course, were decayed. 



It is used for ties in coal and gold mines, for tramways, telegraph 

 poles, and curbing for sidewalks, with the most satisfactory results. 

 An instance is given where it had been used for eighteen years for 

 curbing in front of the Government House in Auckland, and when 

 removed found to be perfectly sound. It is not so well adapted for 

 piles for marine wharves or bridges or jetties, as it is attacked by the 

 teredo as soon as the bark is decayed; and, although squared timber 

 will resist the teredo for a longer period, it is found that kauri is inferior 

 for such purposes to other New Zealand woods. A steady export of 

 kauri is carried on chiefly with Tasmania, Australia, and Mauritius; 

 it is, in fact, the only New Zealand timber exported to any considerable 

 extent. Kauri resembles the California redwood in nearly every par- 

 ticular, except that kauri is, perhaps, finer and closer grained. 



Totara (podocarpus totara). The totara is found throughout the 

 colony, usually attaining its greatest dimensions on rich alluvial lands 

 or on dry hillsides of low elevation. 



Large specimens are found north of Auckland, but it does not occur 

 in abundance until after passing the southern limit of the kauri, viz, 

 38. Although not equal in size to the largest specimens of the 

 kauri, trees are occasionally found from 8 to 10 feet in diameter, 4 

 to 6 feet being about the average size; height, 40 to 70 feet. From the 

 extensive area which it occupies, it has been more generally used than 

 the kauri, and is the chief timber employed for building purposes in 

 the province of Wellington, where it occupies a similar position to that 

 held by the kauri in the Auckland province. 



According to experiments made by competent engineers it has been 

 demonstrated that totara ranks below kauri in point of strength, at 



