WOOD SUPPLY OF AUSTKALASIA AND AFRICA. 119 



is attended with much unnecessary destruction of smaller trees. 

 The Gwaai forest, which extends along the river of that name, 

 fifty miles from Buluwayo, consists of Ikusi, or Native Teak, 

 several kinds of Acacia, and Asenga Mopani. Large areas in 

 Mashonaland also are covered with Ikusi, a handsome dark 

 brown wood streaked with yellow, which is worked for building 

 purposes. The Asenga Mopani, stated to grow 50-75 feet high 

 with a straight stem, is a furniture wood. The Shangani river 

 passes through a forest of Baobab, the largest tree of the country; 

 whilst the Mahobohobo, valuable as a mine-timber because it is 

 termite-proof, abounds in the Selukwe and Belingwe districts. 

 Katope, resembling Pine; Mbawa and Malombwa, resembling 

 Mahogany ; and Muwowa, used for native canoes, and stated 

 to reach an immense height, are also valuable species. 



Cape Box (Buxus Macowdnii) is far inferior to Turkey Box ; but 

 many of the cabinet-woods of Cape Colony, such as Stinkwood 

 (Ocotea bulldta) and Sneeze wood (Pteroxylon iHile), deserve more 

 than local repute. The remnants of the indigenous forests of 

 "Pencil Cedar" (Widdringt6nia juniperdides) will repay strict 

 conservation, whilst one of the most important industries of the 

 future will be the growth of the Maritime Pine (Pinus Pinaster) 

 for railway-sleepers. Natal has 165,000 acres of forest; but 

 depends largely for firewood upon the rapid-growing Eucalyptus 

 and Casuarina which have been introduced from Australia. 

 Some of the indigenous timbers, such as Essenboom, or Cape 

 Ash (Eckebergia capensis), Assegai-wood (Curtisia faginea) and 

 Umzimbit or White Iron wood (Todddlia lanceoldta) may prove 

 worthy of attention, especially by cart-builders. Like the as yet 

 undetermined Pink Ivory, a singularly beautiful wood, they 

 unfortunately grow mostly in kloofs or other somewhat in- 

 accessible situations. 



In 1898 Cape Colony imported over 3J million cubic feet of rough 

 timber, of which over 2,600,000 cubic feet came from Sweden, 

 and 2 million cubic feet of planed timber, of which over 930,000 

 cubic feet came from Norway, and 691,000 from Sweden. In 

 the same year Natal imported 1,687,000 cubic feet of rough 



