TASMANIAN TIMBER 249 



18 inches X 6 incites sawn clear of heart and sap was 

 exhibited at the London Exhibition of 1851, since which 

 time great inroads have been made on this valuable 

 timber. The average hardness of blue gum, according to 

 tests made by M. lludeloff, is about the same as that of 

 hornbeam. 



Mr. Ainslie and Mr. Forsyth, foremen of works at 

 Hobart, report that they have taken blue gum and stringy 

 bark timber from the wharves where it had been in use 

 for beams and planking for twenty-six to thirty-five years 

 in good order, and blue gum which had been in place for 

 thirty years was as " good as the day it was put there." 

 It is classed in Lloyd's third list for shipbuilding. Blue 

 gum is found almost exclusively in the southern portion of 

 the island. 



Stringy Bark (E. nbliqua) often attains a height of 250 ft., 

 but much of the timber is rendered valueless by gum 

 veins and blotches. The wood varies in colour from pale 

 straw to light brown, it is softer than blue gum, is not so 

 sound or lasting a timber, and is subject to seasoning 

 cracks. When well seasoned, however, it is suitable and 

 much used for flooring, dados, and internal fittings, and is 

 more generally used in housebuilding than blue gum, as 

 it is more easily worked and not so heavy ; when planed it 

 much resembles English oak. Called Messmate in Victoria. 



Weight of well-seasoned samples from 48 to 66 Ibs. per 

 cubic foot. 



Ash or Swamp Gum (E. re yuan s} greatly resembles blue 

 gum in outward appearance, but is of much more open 

 grain than either blue gum or stringy bark, and often 

 attains a greater size than either. It is identical with the 

 mountain ash of Victoria, and is useful for interior work 



