183 



general. Sir Thomas Mitchell gave " Ngeu " as the aboriginal name, in use 

 at " Regent Lake," Lachlan Eiver, for a Caauarina (probably the Belah)'. 

 " Gooree " Tvas an aboriginal name at Teri-y-hie-hie, New England, New 

 South Wales; " Alkoo," of Mount Lyndhurst, South Australian blacks (M. 

 ICoch). 



Leaves (Branchlets) . — 



Chiefly used for feeding stock in dry times, and is considered one of the best 

 Oalis tor this purpose. (District Forester C. Marriott, Dubbo.) 



The Belah is sometimes eaten by stock, Is very woody and astringent, whlcli 

 is claimed for all the I'asuarlnas in this (Coolabah) district. If fed to stock 

 for any length of time the results are disastrous. (R. W. Peacock.) 



Stock will eat Belah In times of drought If hard pushed, but the settler doesr 

 not fell iBelah for fodder when he has Mulga, Leopardwood, Rosewood, Kurra- 

 Jong, Supple Jack, &c., of a more nutritious character. (H. V. Jackson). 



Valuable for fodder in S.A. (M. Koch.) 



Timber. — The character of this timber is its absence of iigure, most 

 remarkable for a She Oak. The outer portion (not the sap-wood, which is 

 very narrow) is pale-coloured, while the inner portion is of a rich, reddish- 

 brown, or even chocolate colour. 



Hard to cut or saw, but splits freely with the grain. (District Forester C. 

 Marriott. ) 



A first-class fuel wood. 



It is very easily killed by ringbarking, never suckers, and burns very readily. 

 'I'iniber i.s rather straight and tough, but most liable to split with the weather. 

 (R. W. I'eacock.) 



Timber very hard, and if split it makes good rails, but It decays rapidly in 

 contact with the ground. (R. Kidstoii, C'ondobolin.) 



Split Belah makes good posts, and stands fairly well in the ground, but 

 cannot be compared to Mulga and Gidgee. Round .sappy posts soon rot in tlie 

 ground. (II. V. Jackson.) x 



The timber is exces.sively hard, but brittle ; it is much used for fencing posts. 

 (K. H. Bennett, Ivanhoe, rid Hay.) 



The tree is a quick-growing, fast-decaying one, and it begins to die frequently 

 before it has ceased growing. It is a rare thing to cut down a tree thoroughly 

 sound throughout. The decay begins at the tap-root in the form of a white 

 mould; this works up intp the heart, which becomes dry and hollow, and In 

 course of time the whole tree becomes a pipe. The inside of this is excessively 

 hard, and under the axe flies to pieces like glass. It is useless as a building 

 timber, but the trees being straight they are much used for log fencing and 

 building rough stockyards. (Richard Bennett.) 



Good for firewood ; sometimes used for bullock-yokes, but liable to split. Xo 

 use for post or outside work. (R. J. Dalton, Wanaariug.) 



See a valuable note on Belah, by Mr. Gordon Burrow, in Part 60 of my 

 " Forest Flora of New South Wales." 



Habitat. — The Belah is the commonest Casuarina of the interior, and it 

 and Pine (Callitris) are almost the only timber trees found there — in 

 depressions of the land or actually moist localities. These big trees require 

 more moisture than shrubby species, because the roots must go down deep 

 to water. In this connection the following reply (based on Schimper) to u 

 correspondent, who wrote to me asking why the g^eat plains of New South. 

 Wales are apparently devoid of timber, may be of some interest: — 



The great grass-land plains of Australia are, when xerophilous, technically 

 atvppcs, and xerophilous grass-land containing isolated trees is savaniidli. I 

 take it that you are referring both to steppe and savannah country, for there 

 is no hard-and-fast line between them. 



