8 



Sow to tell ironharJc. — It is not very easy, in a few words, to give a 

 definition of ironbark. Of course, if the bark is available, the thing is 

 simple enough, for most of the barks are characteristically furrowed and 

 rugged. To describe it we must take note of a variety of circumstances. 

 It is heavy (almost the heaviest of our hardwoods). It is hard, as may 

 be readily seen if it be touched with a plane, or a nail be driven (or 

 attempted to be driven), into it. Its most characteristic property, however, is 

 a certain " gumminess " in working, which is well brought out under the 

 plane, and its horny texture. The result is that, when planed, ironbark 

 shows the appearance of more or less parallel strisB or lines of close-textured 

 wood, strongly resembling horn, while between these, the wood has a more 

 open grain, showing narrow pits which may be seen, even by the naked eye, 

 to be filled by a substance of resinous texture. In some specimens it is not 

 easy, however, to make out these lines of horny-textured wood, but the 

 resin-pits appear to be always present. Ironbark is more or less curly in 

 the grain, consequently it often gives, trouble to plane to a perfectly smooth 

 surface. If a blunt tool be used, the ironbark tears in fairly regular 

 blotches, while to get a perfectly smooth surface the wood often requires to 

 be traversed with the plane, or even to be gone over with the steel scraper. 

 Its hardness and weight often preclude it from use, perhaps an advantage, 

 as otherwise the consumption of this timber would be inordinate. 



Principal uses. — Ironbark is the king of New South Wales hardwoods, in 

 fact it is not excelled in any part of the continent for combined strength 

 and durability. It is extensively used in bridge-construction, for railway 

 sleepers, for posts, for naves, spokes, shafts, and framing, by the waggon 

 and carriage-builder ; for large beams in buildings, particularly in stores for 

 heavy goods — in a word, wherever great strength is required. For such 

 purposes as railway-sleepers, it will last an indefinite period, and in many 

 cases has to be taken up, not because it shows signs of decay from exposure 

 on the permanent-way, or disintegration, because of the vibration to which 

 it has been subjected, but because holes have been made in the sleeper by 

 the renewal of bolts and spikes. I have specimens of sleepers which have 

 borne the heaviest traffic of the main line near Sydney for twenty-five years, 

 and which are as sound as the day they were laid. 



White or Grey Ironbark (Eucalyptus paniculata, Sm.) 



This is the ironbark usually called as above in the coast districts. It is, 

 however, also called red ironbark in the Moruya and Wagonga districts, 

 and other places. 



The best white ironbark is very pale, the hardest of ironbarks, and cuts 

 almost like horn ; some of the same species from the Moruya district is of 

 a medium red colour, not unlike Sydney blue gum in tint. It is to white 

 ironbark of good quality that all the encomiums which have been passed on 

 ironbark may be attributed. At the same time, timber but little inferior 

 may be produced by some of the other ironbarks. 



Distribution. — It is rather common in the coast districts and mountain 

 ranges. Northward it extends as far as the Tweed, and southward to near 

 Bega, perhaps further. 



Narrow-leaved Ironbark (Eucalyptus crehra, T. v. M.) 

 So called because of its narrow, slender, graceful foliage, the flower-buds 

 flowers, and fruits being quite small. At Dubbo this timber is called both 

 grey and red ironbark. 



