254 



milling nntil the wood is ripe. It may well be, that so long as the tree maintains a good head, the timber is 

 improving in quality, and therefore it may be inadvisable to cut it during this period. There are other 

 factors as well to be considered with regard to the time of harvesting the timber. The upkeep of this forest 

 is small at present, as compared with that of the forests of the old world. Hence interest charges will 

 be much smaller, and we could therefore allow the forest to stand for a much longer period than is the 

 case with old world forests. 



See also " On the Growth, Treatment, and )Structure of some Common 

 Hardwoods," by R. T. Patton, Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict., xxi (New ser.), 394 (1919), with 

 one plate and seven text figures. 



The author systematises his observations under the following heads : — Height, 

 density of trees per acre, seasoning of timber, structure. He criticises the adoption of 

 the Schlich method of measurement of diameter growth (at all events, as regards 

 Australian conditions) if only because, in our " empirical " or managed forests, it is 

 difficult to select an average tree for research. 



The question of the height of E. regnans (Victorian Mountain Ash), the only 

 Eucalypt referred to, is dealt with at p. 255 of the present work. The question of 

 density of trees per acre is only now being undertaken, since we have only quite recently 

 estabHshed forestry departments taking cognisance of our Eucalypts on scientific lines. 



As regards seasoning of timber, I will give a few references to this, and also to 

 structure of timber, when I deal with, those branches of the subject. 



Now let us turn to a paper, " Estimation of the Rate of Growth of Trees by 

 Stem Analysis," by C. E. Lane Poole, " Jarrah," i. No. 3, p. 14, November, 1918. 



The author begins : — 



" It is an unfortunate fact that the bulk of Australian eucalypts do not lend themselves to this 

 system of estimation. There are exceptions, of which Mountain Ash {Euralyptus Dekgatensis) of New 

 South Wales is one, but in most cases Eucalypts do not appear to have any distinct period of rest during 

 the year, with the result that there are no well-defined rings. Karri (E. diver sicolor) in its very early years 

 (up to about twenty-four), shows annual rings, but after that time it is diiScult to distinguish them." 



He then gives an admirable account of the method, choosing the Monterey Pine 

 [Pinus radiata or insignis), a Californian species much cultivated in Australia, for 

 purposes of illustration. 



D.— The Largest Australian Trees. 



The size of a tree may be measured in vertical height or girth, the two dimensions 

 usually adopted. The fairest method would, of course, be to compute the cubic contents. 

 As regards girth, it is to be regretted that many measurements are not strictly 

 comparable, because of the varying heights above ground at which they have been 

 taken. 



It has been known for many years that Australia and Tasmania possess very 

 large trees, attention having been directed earliest to those of Tasmania. It has since 

 been proved, I think, that the largest trees {E. regnans) occur in Gippsland, Victoria, 



