50 NOTES ON APPAKENTLY USEFUL WOODS 



and for various other purposes, yet it never can be entirely supplanted 

 by its formidable rival. Timber bas held its place in the estimation 

 of men of all ages, both of civilised and uncivilised nations. In 

 every country where it is found mankind has abundance of applica- 

 tion for it. The vast collection of woods furnished by our Colonial pos- 

 sessions to the International Exhibition have undoubtedly never before 

 been equalled in point of magnitude and numbers, and the appearance 

 of many of them seem to stamp them as likely to be of value for cabinet 

 and ornamental purposes. It has, therefore, occurred to me that a few 

 remarks upon some of the woods more especially adapted to furniture 

 and cabinet work would not be out of place, but, on the contrary, rather 

 appropriate at this time when most if not all mentioned in this paper 

 can be seen by those interested in this branch of industry, and, indeed, 

 may perhaps be the means of bringing some of them having greater 

 claims to attention under the notice of those by whom alone they can be 

 brought into repute — our timber merchants and manufacturers. Of 

 course the great bulk of the woods exhibited by our Colonies are not 

 new to us in point of name, for they have held a place in our museums 

 for some years ; but the collections here shown are unique in regard to 

 their great size and also their extreme beauty. There have been lists 

 published of the woods known in commerce arranged both alphabetically 

 and also geographically; but I have in the following enumeration 

 grouped them according to their colours, thinking that such an arrange- 

 ment will facilitate reference both to the manufacturer and also for the 

 purpose of identification. In this grouping, however, some difficulty 

 has to be contended with, owing to the great variety of shades which 

 merge into one another. 



Light Coloured Yellow Woods. 

 Dacrydium FranUinii, Hook fil. (Huon Pine.) — This perhaps is the 

 most beautiful of all the light-coloured woods, and certainly the most 

 beautiful in point of delicate marking of all the Tasmanian woods. The 

 tree is very abundant and often attains a height of 100 feet. The wood 

 is exceedingly durable, and is used for ship and house-building, machi- 

 nery, &c, as well as being much esteemed for cabinet work and furniture. 

 Excrescences or burrs are very abundant upon the trees, and the ap- 

 pearance of these, when cut and polished, are most beautiful, the ground 

 being of a yellowish colour somewhat resembling satin wood thickly 

 studded with dark knots, each of which is surrounded with a silvery 

 lustre. There is as great a difference between the appearance of the 

 wood cut from the trunk and burr of this tree, as that produced by the 

 walnut. Very beautiful specimens of burrs of this wood are made up 

 into articles of furniture, and may be seen in the Tasmanian trophy in 

 the International Exhibition, where slabs from the trunk may likewise 

 be seen. That this wood has not been brought into use in England 



