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2. PALE HARDWOODS. 



This is a convenient practical classification. Some of the most valuable 

 hardwoods of the Colony belong to this class, and injury has been done to 

 some of them because unscrupulous persons in this and other colonies have 

 endeavoured to persuade buyers that certain pale hardwoods, which are never 

 used in the colonies except for temporary and inferior purposes, are genuine 

 blaekbutt, &c., or equal in quality to such timbers. 



(a) Blackbutt (JEucalyptus pilularii, Sm.) 



(An illustrated article descriptive of this timber will be found in the Agricultural Gazette 



for October, 1894.) 



Name. — Owing to the fibrous bark on the butt, whicb is of a dark-grey 

 colour, even blackish, though its depth of tint is in part often owing to bush 

 fires. 



Characteristics. — Pale-coloured, more or less fissile, though sometimes 

 quite interlocked in grain. It is a strong, durable, thoroughly safe and 

 well-tried timber. It is usually readily diagnosed by the presence of 

 narrow, concentric gum-veins, but sometimes these veins are nearly or 

 whoUy absent. 



Principal uses. — This is one of the best hardwoods we have for house and 

 Bhip-building. It is useful for bridge planking, though inferior to tallow- 

 wood for that purpose. It has been tested for many years for blocks for 

 wood-paving, with most satisfactory results ; in fact, it is one of the best 

 timbers we have for the purpose, both as regards wear and durability. It 

 takes tar well. After ironbark, I would only place this timber second to 

 taUow-wood, amongst our hardwoods, for general purposes. 



Distribution. — Coast districts from north to south. 



Quantity available. — Plentiful. 



(b) White Mahogany {Uwcalyptus acmenoides, Schauer.) 



Name. — This is a pale-coloured timber, which bears no resemblance either 

 to the mahogany of commerce or to the red or forest mahogany of New 

 South Wales. It gets its name because of its pale colour, and because the 

 bark of the tree was thought to resemble that of the red mahogany. The 

 name is in universal use in the Colony, and cannot now be disturbed. 



Characteristics. — ^To say that it resembles tallow-wood a good deal, but 

 that it is paler in colour, that it is not greasy, and harder than the better 

 known timber, will perhaps give a good idea "of it. It is one of the most 

 durable timbers in New South Wales. I know of posts of it in different 

 parts of the Colony quite sound after the vicissitudes of more than half a 

 century. Its chief drawback is some tendency to shell off. Users of it 

 assure me that it is far more durable than ironbark or bos. It is a tough, 

 strong useful timber. 



Principal uses. — I believe it will be found an excellent timber for wood- 

 blocks,_ but I would discourage exportation of it at present except under close 

 supervision, as I have known atringybark substituted for it, perhaps through 

 inadvertence. Its hardness is a drawback, and the trees are sometimes 

 unsound ; but it is so good a timber that I would invite our timber men to 

 give more attention to it in future. It is one of those timbers which is not 

 as well known as it should be, because it has been constantly confused with 



