Bram.—On the Building Materials of Otago. 147 
the plant is one of the handsomest in our forests. It is popularly supposed 
that kowhaiis a very slow grower, and the settlers believe that it takes twenty 
years to produce an axe handle, but this is an erroneous idea. So far as 
can be determined from the annular rings, an ordinary sized tree reaches 
maturity in from 150 to 200 years. It should also be noticed that the tree 
is easily raised from seed, and easily transplanted. 
The timber is remarkably straight grained and free from knots, but is 
subject to a heart-shake that impairs the strength of beams and induces 
splitting in piles. It is stronger than rata, but weaker than manuka, It 
is, however, superior to both in toughness, and warps very little. The sap- 
wood, which is clearly defined, is very small; in about 200 logs, ranging 
from six to twenty-two inches in diameter, it never exceeds one and half 
inches in thickness. The wood is of a yellow colour like laburnum, but 
resembles oak in grain and figure. It contains a strong resin or gum, the 
peculiar smell of which never leaves the timber however well seasoned. 
Kowhai is used for the same purposes as manuka and rata, together 
with fencing posts, house blocks, piles and similar work in a damp situation, 
for which it is better adapted than either. The screw shaft bearings of the 
« Betsy Douglas,’ and the pins and bushes of the paddle floats of the 
« Coomerang” are of kowhai, and Mr. Sparrow pronounces it equal to 
lignum vite for such work. Messrs. Guthrie and Larnach use this timber 
extensively for carved work, such as the rims for carriage wheels, the top 
of circular windows and tilt frames. A good proof of its toughness and 
straightness of fibre is given in the teeth and bows of hay rakes. The 
latter are turned to the diameter of a quarter of an inch, and bent into a 
semicircle of nine inches without sign of giving way. 
The durability of kowhai is thoroughly established. It has never been 
known to fail in any situation in which it has been tried. But it was 
scarcely necessary to make a trial, for the old trunks that have been lying 
in the forests from time immemorial are still as sound as when they fell. 
Indeed this old timber is frequently used for fencing posts and house blocks. 
Kowhai has been little used in marine works. The only instance that I 
know of is some bracing in the old Dunedin jetty, which was perfectly 
sound after being in place for seventeen years. The same remark applies 
to fencing and house blocks that have been in use for a much longer period. 
No. 10. Fuchsia—Fuchsia excorticata, The fuchsia, which is the parent 
of many of the cultivated varieties, can scarcely be called a timber tree, 
but as it possesses many good qualities, and has been applied to useful 
purposes, it is entitled to a passing notice. The tree, which is found along 
the seaboard, sometimes attains a height of thirty feet, and a diameter of two 
feet, but it is so twisted and gnarled that it seldom yields a straight 
