136 AMERICAN LUMBER IN FOREIGN MARKETS. 



trict includes 8 forests, 'containing 21,647 acres, the western district 

 has 10 forests, spread over 16,269 acres, and the southern district has 

 10 forests, with an area of 55,474 acres; altogether 215,369 acres. The 

 total area under operations in 1892 was 10,185 acres. 



Young trees raised in the plantations are freely distributed, 372,1^2 

 having been spread over the colony in this way in 1890- 7 91, and 

 322,383 in 1891-' 92. At the present time there are close upon a mil- 

 lion of young trees available for distribution. The actual expenditure 

 of the department for the fourteen years ending in June, 1892, was 

 104,097, and the revenue derived from the sale of trees, posts, rail- 

 way sleepers, etc., amounted to 103,340. The small excess of 799 

 as expenditure over revenue during a term of sixteen years does not give 

 an indication of the value of the forests ' reserves and their contents. 

 Many thousands of posts for fencing purposes and sleepers for railway 

 construction have been supplied from the forest reserves, and the sup- 

 ply of available timber now growing in the forests is equal, without 

 further planting, to all the requirements which are likely to arise in 

 the colony for many years to come. 



Many varieties of timber trees are grown in the plantations which 

 are suitable for purposes other than those of railway and fencing works. 

 Trees suitable for the manufacture of furniture and cabinet work of 

 different kinds are grown there in perfection. Among them may be 

 mentioned the American ash (Fraxinus Americana), which has suc- 

 ceeded beyond all expectation. Some of the trees were felled at the 

 early age of ten years, and the timber after drying, was made up into 

 various articles, such as buggy poles, tables, chairs, Indian clubs, 

 mallets for driving tent pegs, constables' staves, trapeze bars, wickets, 

 buggy naves, etc. Many of the samples were used for turnery, and in 

 every case the results were most satisfactory. The wood is reported 

 "to be unrivaled in toughness and adaptability for turning, as it 

 stands working to the very outside and to the smallest dimensions of 

 any timber without exhibiting any tendency to break off." 



In 1891 "a consignment of the best American- grown ash was received 

 by Messrs. Marshall & Co., and their foreman, after comparing the 

 Australian -grown timber with it, unhesitatingly gave it as his opinion 

 that the Australian article was equal to the American or anything 

 received from any part of the world of the same kind of timber, being 

 a better color and tougher, and working up equal to satin wood, while 

 it never deadens from being polished, and always keeps its color." 



The Pinus insignis has also been grown with the most satisfactory 

 results. It possesses the special merit of requiring less dressing with 

 the plane than any other deal, as a surface can be obtained much more 

 readily thereon. It takes a good polish, is very tough, and does not 

 split on exposure, which is a great advantage in connection with manu- 

 facturing purposes. 



Mr. Gill, the conservator of forests, regards these results " as encour- 



