AMERICAN LUMBER IN FOREIGN MARKETS. Ill 



In one New Zealand district (Otaga)itis considered to resist the attacks 

 of teredo better than any other wood. In this respect I may remark 

 that experience has taught that the teredo is more active and conse- 

 quently more destructive in some sections of the country than in 

 others, so that the claim of superior resisting powers against the rav- 

 ages of this insect may not be well-founded. It has, also, been ascer- 

 tained that piles cut during the growing season resist the attacks of 

 teredo much longer than those cut in the winter. 



Puriri ( Vitex littoralis). This tree grows to a height of from 40 to 

 60 feet, with a trunk from 3 to 5 feet and upwards in diameter. It has 

 been appropriately styled the New Zealand teak; it is, in fact, closely 

 allied to the Asiatic teak, and affords a timber of great density and 

 extreme durability,closelyresemblingliguum-vit8e in general appearance. 

 In durability it probably excels all other New Zealand timbers. The 

 growing tree is subject to the attacks of the larva of the puriri moth, 

 which bores holes sometimes three -eighths of an inch in diameter, but 

 the durability of the timber is not directly affected ; it is never attacked 

 when once worked up. It has been largely used in housebuilding. In 

 some houses now considerably over thirty years old the wood is still in 

 a perfectly sound condition. Posts of the heart- wood which have been 

 in the ground for twenty years are still sound and good. 



Black birch; Rutu-Tawhui (Fagus fusea). The true black birch is a 

 splendid tree. It ascends the mountains from the sea level to 3,000 

 feet. The tree is usually from 60 to 90 feet in height, with a trunk 

 from 3 to 8 feet in diameter. In many districts it is abundant, and 

 forms a large portion of the forest. Its use is pretty general in upper 

 timbers for railway construction, bridges, jetties, mine timbers, etc., 

 and has given uniform satisfaction. It has been used for piles in 

 marine works, and it is said to be very durable, offering great resist- 

 ance to teredo. 



White birch (Fagus solandii). This tree, as also the red birch (Fagus 

 menziessii), has the same distribution over the colony as the black birch 

 and practically the same general characteristics, so far as size, elastic- 

 ity, durability, and general usefulness are concerned. These woods, 

 black, white, and red birch, are so well known that a more extended 

 notice of their relative worth as building materials, etc., would prob- 

 ably afford no information that would be considered valuable. 



Pohutukawa (Metrosideros lucida). This tree is almost peculiar to the 

 province of Auckland, where it is abundant on rocky coasts, sometimes 

 attaining a height of 70 feet or more, but with a comparatively short 

 trunk, 2 to 4 feet in diameter, and numerous massive, tortuous arms. 

 Its peculiar forms, combined with its great durability, renders it spe- 

 cially adapted for the purposes of the shipbuilder, and it has usually 

 formed the framework of the numerous vessels built in the northern 

 province. For this purpose it is much esteemed, and is considered 

 superior to the northern rata ( Metrosideros lucida ), which in many 



