ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS. ]xi. 
out successfully. Still what is possible in America might 
not necessarily be so here, owing to the difference in the 
configuration of the country. The Californian land as shown 
on the screen was mountainous with swift running streams, 
while the land to be irrigated in New South Wales was on 
the plains. 
Mr. J. DAVIS agreed with Mr. McKinney as to the dis- 
similarity between the California and New South Wales 
land. He then referred to what is being done in the 
Western States of America. The desert lands belong to 
the Union, not to the States. In 1902 an act of Congress 
gave power to appropriate land revenues from 13 States 
and 3 territories for the purpose of making desert lands 
productive. There were now 11 projects in hand. The 
land was sold on time payment, at such a price that in 10 
years the works would be paid for. 
Messrs. ARNOTT, HOUGHTON and the Chairman con- 
tributed to the discussion. 
21st November, 1906. 
Mr. J. HAYDON CARDEW in the chair. 
Mr. J. NANGLE read a short paper on “ Australian Hard- 
woods.”’ The author prefaced his paper with lantern slides 
of sections of various timbers, explaining the characteris- 
tics of each. He said he made these sections to establish, 
if possible, a system by which any of the Eucalypti could 
be identified by the engineer and architect who only had 
sawn beams placed before him. Unless he were an expert, 
an engineer could not tell that the timber supplied was of 
the variety demanded in the specification. 
Mr. J. H. MAIDEN gave a most interesting addition to 
the subject. Hesaid that the inherent difficulty in dealing 
with the Hucalypti is the size of the genus, and the 
