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Speaking of a Queensland specimen sent to tte Colonial and Indian 

 Exhibition, Mr. Allen Ransome says : — 



This wood is of a reddish colour, with a good figure. It worked excellently 

 lu the machmes, and planes especially well. If it can be imported at a reason- 

 able price It might take the place of mahogany. 



A specimen from the Myall Lakes, New South "Wales, strongly resembles 

 mahogany; but it has little figure. It is straight and close in the grain, 

 and a good working timber. 



This woo(]^reminds one of Cedar, but it is a little heavier, is of rather 

 a deader colour, and it is apt to tear a little under the plane, hence it 

 fetches only about half the price of Cedar in Sydney. But it polishes well, 

 and has a sheen which is very pretty. 



Young Rosewood has hardly any colour, but the perfume is sweet. Under 

 the axe it is a fairly hard timber. Straight in grain, heavy, and beautifully 

 coloured red in centre, the thin sap-wood being pale yellow; the bark is 

 slightly rough. 



Mr. Yabsley, of the Coraki saw-mills, says that Rosewood will stand the 

 weather almost as well as any of the best hardwoods, and can be split. > 



As evidence of durability, some large logs of timber, moss-grovm, yet still 

 sound, well-coloured, and emitting the usual fragrance when cut into, can 

 be seen in some of our brush forests, with large 'trees growing all around 

 them, and which have evidently come to maturity since the trees fell, 

 pjobably before the British settlement of Australia. Settlers often use 

 Rosewood for house-blocks ; they know its durability in this trying situation. 

 It resists both damp and white ants. 



Principal Uses. — Furniture, cabinet-work, turnery, carving, and indoor 

 Mork of all kinds. It is used for newels, mouldings, and framing of all sorts. 

 Useful for show-case work, also for planes, levers, trundles, and studs in 

 roller-boards of organs, &c., window-jambs, screws of hand-screws, and any 

 uses where a wood a little harder than softwood is required. Recent test 

 uses are for bee-boxes, broom-handles, and wire-mattress frames. Has been 

 strongly recommended for wine-casks. It will split, and I am assured it 

 imparts no taste to wine. 



For boards for ballroom floors it is excellent ; I prefer it to Tallow-wood.-^ 

 (W. Dunn.) 



Mr. Yabsley states that Rosewood can be put to more uses than any 

 timber we have in New South Wales, so far as he knows. 



I desire now to draw attention to a timber for wine-casks which I had not 

 thought of for the purpose, until the late Mr. Thomas Bawden, of Grafton, 

 brought it under my notice in 1891. His remarks on such a subject demand 

 respect, for, as is well known, he gave a good deal of attention to the utilisa- 

 tion of our native products during thirty years and more. Mr. Bawden 

 says : — . 



With regard to wine-casks, and the proper wood for the purpose, I think you 

 will find Rosewood the very best. I know some years ago the late Richard 

 Bligh had some large vats and casks made of that timber, which suited- admir- 

 ably, and certainly gave no taste to the wine. I yesterday asked an old wine- 

 grower of large experience what he thought best for wine vats or .casks, and 

 he at once selected Rosewoo.d, as giving no taste of a deleterious character to 

 the wine. He has tried Silky, Oak, but bas condemned it,andhas not been able 

 to get anything better than Rosewood. 



