179 "Transactions.— Miscellaieotus. 
As the twelve-inch samples were too short to test the contraction end- 
wise, I did so by fixing long three by half-inch green battens in the sun 
on a wall. After being exposed for four weeks in exceptionally hot, dry 
weather they were found to have shrunk as follows :— 
White pine and totara — .... 0°30 of an inch in 20 feet. 
Red pine >». iis c: 0:28 i 2. 
Kauri E ee OPEL 
Of course the kauri was Samana drier than the others iot commence with. 
There is no record of similar experiments having been made with the timber 
of other countries, so à comparison cannot be instituted. I believe, how- 
ever, that our timbers do not shrink more endwise than foreign ones of the 
same class. The importance of seasoning timber has hitherto been very 
much overlooked in New Zealand. Instead of using well dried heart-wood 
from mature trees that are felled at the proper season of the year, we put 
into our houses wet sap-wood from young trees that are felled when most 
convenient, probably in their juiciest state; and, to increase the evil, the 
timber is painted at once, so that all the juices are retained to ferment, and 
thus breed corruption. It frequently happens that the timber for some of 
our best buildings is standing in the forest after the work has been com- 
menced. Colonial timbers have fallen into disrepute solely on account of 
being used in a green state alongside foreign ones that are well seasoned. 
As a matter of fact, many of the latter are considered worthless in their 
own country for the same reason. It may therefore be set down as an 
axiom that no timber is good in the country that produces it. 
The late Mr Balfour conducted a series of experiments on the strength 
of New Zealand woods at the N.Z. Exhibition of 1865. So far as they went 
these experiments were very satisfactory, but he himself admitted that they 
were not exhaustive, and suggested the further investigation of the subject 
by the General Government. A collection of timber specimens was made 
for this purpose in 1872, but the experiments have not yet been made. In 
reporting on the subject Mr Balfour said :—'* New Zealand woods compare 
very fairly with those which we have been accustomed to consider as 
standards, the absolute strength of very many being above that of British 
oak, and all being stronger than elm. * * * New Zealand woods are 
certainly for the most part short in the grain and break with little warning. 
There are a number of valuable exceptions, but it will be observed that the 
ratio of safe load to breaking weight is high, which to a great extent 
compensates for this peculiarity.” Mr. Balfour’s experiments were made 
with pieces twelve inches long and one inch square, supported at one end. 
I observe that Mr. Laslett, who tested the strength of most of the principal 
woods in the world for the Admiralty, used pieces six feet long and two 
