152 COMMERCIAL BOTANY. 



freight for so long a distance, coupled with the fact that 

 most of the timbers of those far-off colonies are very dense 

 and remarkably heavy. This is, of course, especially the 

 case with the numerous species of Eucalyptus, which genus 

 furnishes some of the most characteristic of Australian 

 woods. The hardness of these woods indeed is their special 

 recommendation. One species namely, the JARRAH (Euca- 

 lyptus marginata), a native of West A ustralia has attracted 

 some attention during the last year or so as a material for 

 paving roadways ; and blocks made from it have been laid 

 down by several of the metropolitan vestries, as, for instance, 

 at Islington ; King's Road, Chelsea ; Westminster Bridge 

 Road; and in the Strand. There are some others that have 

 appeared occasionally in our markets, and ought to be regu- 

 larly known in the timber trade, if only for cutting into 

 veneers, should the woods be too costly to use in the solid. 

 Of such we may mention MUSKWOOD (Olearia argophylla), 

 TASMANIAN MYRTLE (Fagus Cunninghami}, and HUON PINE 

 (Dacrydium Franklinii), all of which have been greatly 

 admired by our ornamental wood dealers ; but some system 

 of a demand on this side of the world, and a ready response 

 on the other, seems to be needed to create a trade in these 

 bulky commodities. 



So far as woods for cabinet purposes are concerned, 

 though fashion rules the demand in this, as in everything 

 else, there is always a sale for such well-known woods as 

 mahogany (which has been used in this countiy as a cabinet 

 wood since the middle of the last century), walnut, etc. ; and 

 in connection with this it may be worth while here to place 

 on record what has been done in the introduction of the 

 mahogany-tree in India, Ceylon, and Mauritius, so that 

 future generations may draw their supplies of this valuable 

 wood from the East as well as from the "West Indies. So 

 far back as 1873 seeds were sent from Kew to India, and 

 in 1879 the cultivation of the tree was referred to as an 



