WOOD SUPPLY OF ASIA AND AUSTRALIA. 117 



was estimated as forest in 1878, most of it being in the hands of 

 Government, and more than half of it consisting of Eucalyptus. 

 Many Victorian timbers are extremely dense and hard, such as 

 Red Gum, Blue Gum, White Gum or Peppermint, Messmate and 

 Iron-bark (Eucalyptus rostrdki, globulus, amygdalina, obllqua, and 

 leucoxylon), etc. ; and accordingly, though some of them may well 

 maintain a more than local value for sleepers, wood-paving, etc., 

 timber at present appears among the imports rather than among 

 the exports of the colony. The forest-area of South Australia, 

 where Eucalyptus also forms the staple of the timber supply, is not 

 large. It is West Australia, however, and especially its south- 

 western parts, from which we at present import the bulk of our 

 Australian timber-supply. Besides Sandalwood (Sdntalum cyg- 

 iwrum or Fusdnus spicdtus) to the value of nearly ,30,000 annually, 

 sent mainly to China, West Australia is exporting timber to the 

 value of half-a-million sterling, the chief species being Jarrah 

 (Eucalf/ptus mcrrgindta), which is officially stated to be the pre- 

 dominant species over 14,000 square miles, Karri (E. diversicolor) 

 occupying 2,300 square miles, Tewart (E. gomphocephala) occupy- 

 ing some 500 square miles. 



The timber areas in West Australia are stated as : 



Jarrah (with Blackbutt aud Red Gum), 8,000,000 acres. 

 Karri, - - - 1,000,000 



Tewart, 200,000 ,, 



Wandoo, - - 7,000,000 



York Gum, Yate, Raspberry -jam, and 



Sandal wood, - . 4,000,000 



This area is estimated to contain 62 million loads of mature 

 timber worth 3 per load, a total value, deducting J for waste 

 in sawing, of 124,000,000. 



Nearly one-half of the island of Tasmania (8,000,000 acres) is 

 timbered, seven-eights of the woodland being under Government, 

 but the timber area is diminishing. The beautifully mottled, 

 durable Huon Pine (Dacrf/dium Franklinii) has become scarce and 

 high-priced. The bulk of the timber exported consists of 

 Stringybark (Euadyptus obliqua), sent in planks to Victoria, South 



