THE TIMBERS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



195 



It is unfortunately an undisputed fact that none of our timbers 

 season to perfect satisfaction from natural causes only. In our 

 hardwoods the elements of shrinking, warping, cracking, and the 

 gradual shedding of their natural juices, render them to a great 

 extent unfit for cabinet work or similar purposes ; it is therefore 

 essential that some mode of treatment will have to be devised to 

 master these defects. All our hardwoods are charged more or 

 less, according to class, with these natural juices, necessary to the 

 life of the tree when growing, but which must be removed before 

 the sawn or hewn timber can be said to be effectually seasoned. 

 It is in the shedding of these juices that our timbers split and 

 crack. Unfortunately the grain of our hardwoods is not continu- 

 ous ; were this otherwise, under favourable circumstances, there 

 would be a possibility of devising some plan whereby the juices 

 might be forced out of the ends of each piece, the cavities made 

 to be replaced at the same time with some composition which 

 would have the effect of preserving the timber. 



Among the many methods tried, the process of first steaming 

 and afterwards drying by injecting hot air into chambers specially 

 designed seems to me to be the most likely to have the desired 

 effect. A process similar to this is now in use in the different 

 colonies, but its absolute success has yet to be demonstrated. A 

 few figures showing the effect of this process on timber in its 

 green state cannot fail to be interesting, more particularly as. 

 regards weight and size. 



GKEEN. 



SEASONED. 





Weight. 



Size. 



Weight. 



Size. 



Blackwood 



110 lbs. 



121 x 2 " 



52 lbs. 



llixlH 



Blue Gum ( E. globulus) 



113 lbs. 



101 x 2V 



84 lbs. 



9|xlf 



Stringybark 



1081 lbs. 



101x21" 



82 lbs. 



9fxl| 



These figures speak for themselves, and go to prove conclusively 

 that providing no serious injury is done to the timbers by this 

 process, the difficulty of excessive weight, which up to the present 

 has stood in the way of their use for cabinet and other purposes, 



