Buarr.—On the Building Materials of Otago. 141 
decomposition, but without thorough seasoning and ventilation they are of 
little value. On the contrary, anything that closes the pores of the timber 
while it contains sap promotes decay. One of the best preservatives of 
timber is the creosoting process, invented 40 years ago by Mr. Bethell, 
which consists in extracting the natural juices by pumping and refilling the 
pores with creosote. Timber prepared in this manner resists decay of all 
kinds for a long time, but on account of the inflammable nature of the pre- 
paration and its obnoxious smell, timber that has undergone the process 
cannot be utilized in ordinary architectural work. 
Nomenclature. 
There is no subject'connected with New Zealand timbers that is in such 
an unsatisfactory state as the nomenclature. The utmost confusion exists 
in the names of many kinds, and there are very few that bear the same 
name throughout all parts of the colony. In consequence of our ignorance 
on this point many of the best timbers have been rejected, and inferior 
ones accepted in their place, a proceeding which has led to disappointment 
and loss both in private buildings and publie works. With the view to 
remedy this evil I have prepared a table (No. I.) hereto appended, showing 
the various names of all the principal Otago woods: the popular name is 
that by which the tree is best known, whether botanical, native, or given by 
the settlers, and the synonyms consist of the proper botanical name, and 
any native or vernacular names that have been applied to the plant. 
Many of the trees were formerly known by other botanical names, but the 
one given is now universally accepted, consequently the others are not 
required. The great majority of all these old botanical names can be found 
in * Hooker’s New Zealand Flora" and “ Gordon's Pinetum.” As the 
leading Colonial authorities have been consulted in preparing this table, I 
have considerable confidence in its accuracy and completeness. The 
identity of two or three of the smaller plants with some of the native and 
vernacular names is not fully established, but there is little or no doubt 
with regard to all the others. 
Geographical Distribution. 
According to a return made to Parliament in 1874, Otago possesses 
about 2,250,000 acres, or 9,500 square miles of forest lands. With the 
exception of a block of 600 square miles in the north, which is almost 
treeless, the forests are well dispersed throughout the province, and the 
largest supplies are in very accessible situations. Practically there is a 
belt of forest along nine-tenths of the Otago coast. It is quite unbroken 
from the north-west boundary at Martin Bay to Riverton, a distance of 200 
miles, and the gaps from thence to Waikouaiti, near the north-east 
boundary, are few and short. The West Coast belt extends with greater or 
