TIMBERS OF THE COLONY. 175 



timbers, being deficient in strength and elasticity ; but it is a very- 

 durable timber, and its defects are no drawback to its use for such 

 purposes as wood-paving. 



Most people in the coast and coast mountain districts know a tree 

 with a scaly bark, which is often stained with a blood-like exudation. 

 This is the Bloodwood {E. corijinhd.sui, Sm.). It is usually faidty, owiii<'- 

 to the presence of gum- veins, but it has tAvo im])ortunt pn)])erties to 

 recommend it. One is that it is one of the most durable timbers in 

 the Colony, the other is that Avhen the cut-end of a log is exposed to 

 the ardent rays of the sun it does not open out like most colonial 

 timbers. For posts, piles, timbers for culverts, wharfs, &c., it can be 

 safely recommended, its gum veins, unless very large, merely offending 

 the eye, and in no way affecting its durability. I am of opinion that 

 the presence of this gum (kino) is actually a preservative of the wood. 



Supplementing the timbers enumerated in these two great classes, I 

 may mention that we have four Stringj^barks, which, however, are of 

 unequal quality, viz. : — E. ohllqiia, capitellata, macrorrhyncha, and 

 eugenioides. The Yellow Box {E. meUiodora) of the southern and 

 western districts is a tough and durable timber, but never available in 

 large sizes. The Red Box [E. puhjnnthema), which strongly resembles 

 ironbark in appearance, strength, and durability, is one of the most 

 valuable timbers the Colony produces, but it principally occurs on the 

 western side of the Dividing Range. 



Infe rio r Ha rd icoodg. 



In this class we include those hardwoods which are of either 

 doubtful quality, or are inferior to those already enumerated. 



White gums of various kinds fE. jxiucijiora, E. hannantoma, E. 

 viminalis) , messmate (E. amygdalinaj , peppermint (E. amygdalhia 

 and E. j)ipe'''^i<^0 > mountain ash. fE. sieherianaj, swamp mahogany 

 fE. rohusta), bastard mahogany fE. hotryoides) , mountain gum fE. 

 goniocalyx) , apple fE. stuartiana) , swamp gum fE. gunnilj. Some 

 of these are timbers of fair value, e.g., mountain ash, swamp and 

 bastard mahogany, and mountain gum. 



Closely allied to the Eucalypts are various hardwood trees known 

 as apple fAngophoraJ , myrtles fEugeniaJ, water gums fTristania 

 laurina and RhodamniaJ, tea-trees fMelaleucaJ , turpentine fSyii- 

 carpiaj, and brush box fTristania) . 



Botanically they all belong to the Natural Order Myrtacca*, and 

 are confined to the coast and coast mountain districts. As a rule, 

 these timbers are of inferior quality because of their liability to shrink 

 and twist in seasoning, and of some tendency to dry rot, but 1 am of 

 opinion that they have been neglected because of the ready availability 

 of Eucalyptus timbers of high class. Two timbers, however, stand out 

 as possessing conspicuous merit, namely the turpentine {Syucarpia 

 laurifolia, Ten.) and the brush box {Tristania ronprfa, R.Br.). 



Amongst the more immediate allies of the turpentine and brush box 

 may be mentioned the tea-trees (3/e/«/e!<c</), whose names have become 

 synonymous with durabihty. As posts in the ground, as palings, as 

 flooring-boards, as corduroy roads (saplings being of course used for 

 this purpose), as piles in rivers for, say, small boat jetties, tea-tree, and 



