2i8 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



long-leafed pine wood that the Indian railways should be chiefly supplied 

 with sleepers. ..." 



" The wood is used in building houses and boats, for making tea-boxes, 

 shingles, etc. The wood of the Sikkim trees is heavier, harder and stronger, 

 more durable and of better general quaUty, than that of the north-west." 

 Pearson also deals with this timber in relation to its use for sleepers, and 

 adds : " The co-efficient of transverse strength, according to tests quoted 

 by Gamble, gave 5-09 tons per square inch, while figures of other tests 

 gave an average of 7-43 tons per square inch. It floats fairly well." 

 Its real value, however, should be found in its suitability for joiners', 

 cabinet, and other high-class work for which yellow pine is used in this 

 country. This wood is one of the timbers mentioned in Gamble's list of 

 woods which are available in fairly large quantities, and are likely to be 

 worth trial. 



The concentric layers are strongly marked. The pores and medullary 

 rays are indistinct and obscure, the latter showing, however, through the 

 lens (12 X ) on the radial section in a faint, almost imperceptible, ripple 

 ray. 



Pine, New Zealand. Podocarpus dacrydioides, A. Rich. Weight, 

 31 lbs. 15 oz. New Zealand. 



The tree yields clean timber of long lengths and wide widths. It is 

 of a light whitish -yellow colour in appearance, much resembling yellow 

 pine {Pinus Strobus). The native name is " kahikatea." It is soft and 

 straight-grained, and is largely used in New Zealand and Australia for 

 butter-boxes. It is reported as not being durable for exposed work, and 

 in its own country is liable to attack from boring insects. A very large 

 quantity was imported a few years ago (1919) into the United Kingdom, 

 but has given disappointing results, as it shrinks, warps, and twists to a 

 considerable extent even after many years of seasoning. Although used 

 experimentally for many purposes as a substitute for yellow pine and 

 American white wood {Liriodendron tulipifera), it has generally been 

 condemned. 



The concentric layers are clearly defined. The pores and medullary 

 rays are confused and indistinct. The fibres are so soft and pulpy that 

 it is exceedingly difficult to make a clean cut on the transverse grain 

 sufficiently smooth to display the construction of the wood. 



Pine, Oregon. Pseudotsuga Douglasii, Carr. Weight, 34 lbs. 2 oz. 

 British Columbia, North- West United States. 



The name " Oregon pine " is doubly inappropriate, for this tree is 

 not a true pine (being more allied to a hemlock fir) and is by no means 

 confined to Oregon, as it occurs also in other American States and in 



