TIMBERS OF NEW SOUTH WALES 227 



work is said to be better than oak ; it is not, however, 

 abundant. It is a whitish wood with a tinge of brown, 

 rather close grained and durable, works up well, but is very 

 brittle and cannot safely be employed where much strength 

 is required. An excellent wood for carving. 

 Weight, thoroughly dry, 36 Ibs. per cubic foot. 



Colonial or Moreton Bay Pine (Araucarla cunninghamii) is 

 the principal softwood of the colony and is also to be found 

 in the adjoining colonies. The tree grows to a height of 

 150 ft. and over and has a diameter of 2 to 4 ft. 



It is not a high-class timber, much inferior to the pine 

 timbers of Europe and America, but it is used extensively 

 for packing cases, ceiling linings, etc., and is of a pale 

 colour. 



Weight 30 to 33 Ibs. per cubic foot. 



Brown Pine (Podocarpus data} is somewhat similar to 

 Moreton Bay pine, but harder and more durable, fairly free 

 from knots, soft, close grained, and easily worked. 



Weight about 45 Ibs. per cubic foot. 



Cypress Pine. Under this name is included the Red or 

 Black Pine (Callitris calcarata) and the Murray or White 

 Pine (C. verrucosa). It is a well-known, much used, and 

 well-distributed colonial wood. It has considerable powers 

 of resistance to the white ants and teredo, and is one of the 

 best of Australian timbers in this respect, although its 

 resisting powers in one district may fail in another. The 

 author has been told by more than one Australian engineer 

 that this is the only timber which will resist the teredo, 

 but it is little used in situations infested by this pest. (See 

 statement by Mr. Walsh, p. 225.) Owing to its freedom 

 from attack by the white ant, which will, however, strip the 

 sapwood from it, this timber is the only kind suitable for 



Q 2 



