174 



Fruit. This is sufficiently described by the plate. The winged seeds are 

 very light, are suddenly released from the follicle, and are blown away by 

 the wind. As the trees are a considerable height it is not always easy to 

 collect the seed just as it ripens, and hence it is always expensive. 



Is the Sap an Irritant. In Bart XX (vol. ii), p. 183, of my "Forest 

 Flora of New South Wales," I drew attention to Leichhardt's observation 

 of the acrid secretion from the seed-vessels of a Grevillea in the Northern 

 Territory. 



Dr. E. Mjoberg, the leader of the Swedish Scientific Expedition of 1910-11 

 to north-west Australia, informed me that the sap of two species of 

 Grevillea is used by the natives to scarify their bodies, forming the scars 

 they deem to be ornamental. 



Following is an extract from a letter from Mr. Fellows, Curator of the 

 Public Gardens, Albury, N.S.W. : 



I have a man working here, who, whenever he has to work much in the 

 trees of (Ircrillca rolnint<t, gets inflammation of the eyelids; have you met with 

 n similar case, or can you account for it in any way? No other tree causes 

 him this inconvenience. I have asked our doctors about it, hut none can 

 account for it. By working in the trees I mean in the top of the tree, lopping 

 or thinning out branches of the older trees. The sap is the trouble. We have 

 Home of these trees in the streets in this town ; the trees made good growtu 

 here. 



I have not heard of Grevillea robusta in this connection before. It is far 

 better known as a planted tree (both in Australia and out of it) than in its 

 native forests, and I would ask correspondents whether they have heard of 

 its acridity. 



I would invite attention to what I have said in regard to Irritant Woods 

 in Part xlix, p. 174, of my " Forest Flora of New South Wales." 



Timber. Its chief characteristic is its fissility. It is light in colour, and 

 has a handsome oak-like figure. 



Although distinctly a prettty wood, yet on account of its lightness of 

 colour it has not the same rich appearance as many proteaceous 'timbers. It 

 is moderately hard, and works well. 



We have much to learn in regard to the behaviour of our commonest trees, 

 imd bushmen should not be too diffident in reporting peculiarities of our 

 trees and timbers. 



Perhaps the New South Wales timber which has been spoken of more than 

 *my other for wine casks is the silky oak. Mr. Thomas Hardy, of South 

 Australia, placed shavings of this wood in light wines for two mouths with-- 

 out affecting the taste and colour of the latter. He pronounces the wood 

 suitable in o'ther respects, and therefore suitable for casking wine, and the 

 opinion of an authority so eminent must carry great weight. Silky oak 

 would not leak when split on the quarter, and Mr. Hardy has been institut- 

 "ing inquiry as to whether the staves would leak when the wood was cut 

 across the grain. Silky oak appears too porous to hold such liquids as 

 spirits. 



Formerly it was used to a large extent on the northern rivers of our own 

 State, and still in Northern Queensland, for tallow casks. It has also been 

 .largely used for butter-kegs. It does not appear to be affected by long 

 immersion in brine, nor does butter placed in contact with it for any reason- 



