THE TIMBERS OF COMMERCE 



difference between them is so great, as mentioned above, that I 

 am forced to conclude that the specimen from the former locality 

 is from a very old tree and that the variation of the structure as 

 the tree ages is very much greater than is usual in woods of other 

 kinds. (Compare Fig. 161, PI. XVIII.). The pith-side of Fig 71 

 is to the left. 



No. 115. A Variety, Melaleuca Leucadendron. 

 Var. Cunningham!. 



Received from Mr. F. M. Bailey, Brisbane, weighs 66 lbs. per 

 cu. ft. Hardness Grade 2, compare Boxwood. Colour, dark, 

 nut-brown. This shows a further considerable departure from 

 the above type. 



No. 116. WATERBOOM. Eugenia cordata. Laws 



(not D.C.). 

 Plate VIII. Fig. 72. 



Natural Order. Myrtaceae. 



Source of Supply. South Africa, Natal. 



Physical Characters, etc. Recorded dry-weight 60 lbs. per 

 cu. ft. Hardness Grade 5, compare English Elm. Smell or taste 

 none. Burns very well, no aroma, heat expels an unusually 

 copious orange-coloured juice : embers glow in still air. Solution 

 pale, the colour of the wood, gives a copious ppt. upon the addi- 

 tion of potash. 



Grain. Very fine, compact, dense and even. Surface dull. 



Bark. About $ inch thick: light yellowish brown, of two 

 layers, the inner woody, the outer separating in small, soft, thin 

 scales : like cork to the touch. 



Uses, etc. Unrecorded. An extremely tough and solid wood, 

 which saws with some trouble yet kindly : a good turner's 

 wood, much resembling that of the European Pear tree. It 

 would probably be useful for screws and levers. 



Colour. Heart-wood uniform, brown : defined from the 

 sap-wood, which is rather lighter and about 2-3 inches wide. 



Anatomical Characters. Transverse section : — 



Pores. Need lens, size 5, considerable variation : widely 

 scattered : nearly all single, pairs very rare : few 11-20 per sq. 

 mm. 



Rays. Need lens, size 5-6, apparently two sizes, but 

 really thick in the middle, tapering both ends to fine points : 

 " middles " only, 2-4 per mm., or together with " ends," 18-26 

 per mm : direct, not avoiding the pores : slightly lighter in 

 colour than the ground-tissue. 



134 



