22 



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 exposvire 

 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 seen 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. 



Eucalyptus paniculata, Sm. 



White or Grey Ironbakk. 



Botanical Name. — Eucalyptus, from two Greek words — eu (well), Icdlypto 

 (I cover) — in allusion to the little cap, usually more or less conical, which 

 well covers the unexpanded flower, and which is thrown off as the flower 

 opens. Paniculata, Latin, the inflorescence being paniculate. 



Vernacular Names. — This is usually called " White Ironbark," by reason 

 of the pale colour -of its timber in comparison with others. For a similar 

 reason it is often called " She Ironbark." The term " She " in this connec- 

 tion does not imply inferiority of strength (as the term " She " does, as a 

 rule in Australia, as applied to timbers), since this is the strongest of timber 

 of the ironbarks ; it refers to its paleness. It is also called " Grey Ironbark." 

 On the South Coast I have known it to be called " Eed Ironbark," because 

 of its pale red colour. The fact is that Eucalypts vary in the colour of their 

 timber just as they do in every other character. 



Leaves. — This species is not an abundant yielder of oil, so that the iron- 

 harks felled for tiniber are not likely to have their leafy tops utilised for 

 distillation. 



Timber. — E. paniculata is the ironbark lusually called Wliite or Grey 

 Ironbark in the coast districts. It is, however, also called Eed 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 ^11 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. 



8ize. — Usually a tree of medium size, say 60 or TO feet in height, with a 

 diameter of 2 to 4 feet; it exceptionally attains a greater size. 



Hahita't. — It is chiefly found in New South Wales, extending practically 

 along the whole of the coastal strip. I have obtained it almost from the 

 Victorian border. It extends to southern Queensland. 



It prefers ridges, often ironstone ridges, growing on dry, poor land, of 

 very little use for any other purpose. Just as hard struggles in his 

 younger days brins out what is best in a man — his grit and quality — so we 

 find, as a rule scarcely admitting of exception, that timber grown under 

 '' hard " conditions is better than timber growing more luxuriously as regards 

 soil and moisture. 



EXPLAXATION OF TL.VTE 30. 



A. Twig, showing buds, flowers, and fruits. The foliage is often 



peodulouK. 

 n. Cluster of 'fruits of the size often seen. 

 c. Fruits of the smaller kind, by no meims rare. 



