12 



An Optimum for Australian Timhers. 



I wrote the following note in " Australia To-day," of 1st Nevember, . 1011, 

 p. 93: — "The stringybark {Eucalyptus ohliqua) of Tasmania is used for 

 wood-paving, and while Western Australians will not agree with the judg- 

 ment of a Tasmaniau expert that ' it is preferable to jarrah,' the statement is 

 evidence of the local esteem in which it is held, and gives me an opportunity 

 of reiterating the fact, of which abundant proof has come before me, that 

 certain timbers are their best in particular States. . . . E . oMiqua aeeras 

 to attain its best development in Tasmania." 



The Eev. J. W. Dwyer, of Temora, wrote to me: "Be Eucalpptus- 

 Siuartiana. I often heard from farmers at Bowna, near Albury, where it 

 grows well on flats, that for fencing-posts it is pretty lasting if put into the 

 same kind of ground in which it grows, but not elsewhere, which may 

 account forsthe rosy report given by one of your correspondents." 



Mr. William Hogarth, of Momba, Wilcannia, communicated' to me nearly 

 thirty years ago the following observation on the durability of timbers: — " In 

 any locality, wherever the particular kind of tree predominates, that timber 

 will last longest in the ground — ^for instance, the Miilga where Mulga 

 predominates' — that is, in dry situations, while in damip situations, where 

 ' Box ' predominates, tl^e Mulga soon rots, and the Box lasts longer in the 

 ground. Where Oak (Oasuarina) predominates, Mulga and Box will rot 

 sooner than Oak, and so on." Mr. Hogarth made these observations, 

 having had many old fences to pull down on his run, and in putting up 

 new ones he acts as much as possible keeping this in view. These con- 

 clusions have been combated by some gentleinen from Western New South 

 Wales, to whom the author broached the subject. The matter is, however, 

 worthy of ventilation. 



The following was written to me in 1889 by Mr. W. Baeuerlen, then 

 Collector for the Technological Museum: — "Mr. William Beach, of Dele- 

 gate Saw-mills, tells me that any timber put in the ground as posts, &c., 

 will last much longer if put in upside down, i.e., always the lower end of 

 the post turned up. He says many years ago he put up a sapling fence, 

 and in the usual way dug holes for the ' dog-logs.' Wet weather came on, 

 when he thought, as the ground was soaked, he could get on quicker with 

 his work if he could drive the ' dog-logs ' into the ground without digging 

 holes. In order to do so he naturally turned the ' dog-logs ' upside down, 

 as the thinner end would drive easier. The result was that the ' dog-logs ' 

 turned upside down lasted six or seven years longer than the ones put in 

 in the usual way. Acting upon that experience when putting up a fence 

 again, he put the posts of stringybark (Euc. macrorrhyncha) all upside 

 down, with ^the result that after twenty-five years the posts are standing 

 yet J to all appearance quite sound, while posts put in in the regular way 

 at the same time have rotted away long ago." 



Any man who can contribute any observation which will enable the lif» 

 of one or more of our timbers to be extended is a benefactor to the country, 

 just as is the man who niakes " two blades of grass " (two trees) grow where 

 formerly only one grew. 



I have suggested that every species of tree has an " optimum " district — 

 that is to say, a district in which that tree grows better than anywhere 

 else; in other words, produces the most valuable product. We should 

 endeavour to learn the optimum district for each species, in order that w« 

 may search for other districts offering similar conditions, and find standing 

 timber, or cultivate the species under those conditions. 



