1630 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



carefully made have shown that it will bear about double the weight of English oak, 

 and will remain sound under water for a very long period. These particulars have 

 been confirmed ; but I think the statement as to the comparative strength of English 

 oak requires some explanation. 



An instance is quoted of an old ferry-boat built of blue gum in 1818, that has 

 been lying a wreck on the banks of the Derwent in Tasmania for more than fifty 

 years, between high- and low-water mark, the timber of which is still quite sound. 



For mining purposes, Mr. Griffen, Inspector of Mines at Launceston, Tasmania, 

 says that it should occupy the first place ; whilst Mr. Dudley of Hobart, who has 

 forty years' experience of its use for bending and general wheelwrights' purposes, 

 says that it is unsurpassed for felloes, spokes, shafts, and body-work. He prefers the 

 timber of young trees, but states that it requires careful seasoning in closed sheds for 

 two years after sawing, as it is very liable to crack and split if exposed to sun and 

 wind when freshly cut. A diagram, showing the results of experiments made in 1899 

 for Messrs. Pearson by D. Kirkaldy and Son of London, is given by Peniiy in 

 Tasmanian Forestry. 



Experiments carried out ^ at Berkeley University, California, on the wood of the 

 Eucalypti grown in that state, show that the fastest-growing species produce the 

 strongest timber. Thirty-year-old blue gum proved stronger than hickory. In 

 California the wood of E. globulus is hard, strong, and tough. It has competed 

 with Robinia for insulator pins, and is used locally for waggon axles, spokes, hubs, 

 and felloes. 



With regard to the timber of trees grown in Europe, it is difficult to give a fair 

 opinion, as reports of users vary extremely. Judging from what I saw in Portugal, 

 however, the timber of E. globulus, in common with that of several other species, is 

 extremely subject to split, warp, and twist, and requires a great deal of experience to 

 season and convert it without great waste. None of the species ^ seem at present 

 likely to produce timber of any commercial value in Great Britain, and it is therefore 

 unnecessary to go into details. (H. J. E.) 



1 Ingham, Berkeley Cat. Agric. Exp. Stn. Bull. No. 196, pp. 111-112 (1908). 

 2 E. Muelleri, T. B. Moore, is possibly an exception. 



