WOOD SUPPLY OF AUSTRALASIA 101 



Australasia. — Australian timbers kave, as we have already 

 said, suffered in European repute by not being seasoned ; and as, 

 in spite of a vast area of scrub, the area of timber-producing forest 

 is comparatively small, wholesale clearing for the purposes of 

 agriculture, the use of wood for fuel, and the great demand for 

 building, fencing, railways, and telegraphs, have sensibly affected 

 the supply. The areas under marketable timber are stated to be 

 as follows : — 



Acres. Acres. 



Queensland,- - 40,000,000 Tasmania, » - 11,000,000 



West Australia, - 20,400,000 Yictoria, - - 6,000,000 



ITew South Wales, 20,000,000 South. Australia, - 3,840,000 



Total 100,765,000 



Conservation has begun ; but mine-props and even firewood are 

 locally scarce. Queensland exports Bed Cedar {Cedrela Toorm), 

 and Moreton Bay, Kauri and Cypress Pines {Araucdria Cunning- 

 hdmii, Agathis robusta, and Odllitris rdbusta). Among the chief 

 other species of this State are Ironbark {Eucalyptus sideropMoia), 

 Peppermint {E, microcorys), Stringybark [E, acmenioides), Woolly- 

 butt {E. hotryoides), Bloodwood (E, corymbosa), River Gum (E, 

 rostrdta), Blue Gum (E. tereticornis), Grey Gum (E, saligna). Gum- 

 topped Box (E. hemipMoia), Brisbane Box {Tristdnia conferta)^ 

 Swamp Mahogany [T, suaveolens), Moreton Bay Chestnut [Oas- 

 tanospermum austrdle). Paper-barked Tea- tree {Melaleuca Leuca- 

 dendron), Gidgee {Acacia homalophylla), BeGGh. {Gmelina Leichardtii), 

 Kauri Pines {Agathis rdbusta and A, Palmerstoni), She Pine {Podo- 

 cdrpus eldta), and the Pencil Cedars {Dysoxylon Fraseridnum and 

 D. Muellerii). New South Wales sends Cedar {Cedrela Toona) 

 and Pine {Araucdria Gunninghdmii) to China and New Caledonia, 

 and the area under the former species is now considerably reduced. 

 Among other important woods of this State are most of those just 

 mentioned as occurring in Queensland, together with White Iron- 

 bark {Eucalyptus paniculdta), Narrow-leaved (jE^. crebra), and Red 

 {E. Sideroxylon), Blackbutt {E, piluldris), Woollybutt {E, longi- 

 folia), Forest Mahogany {E, resinifera), Grey Gum {E, propinqua), 

 and Spotted Gum {E, maculdta), Turpentine {Syncdrpia laurifoUa), 

 Silky Oak {Grevillea rdbusta)^ Tulip-wood {HarpuUia pendula), and 

 Coachwood {Ceratopetalum apetalum). Nearly half the area of the 

 colony of Victoria (40,000 out of 88,198 square miles) was estimated 

 as forest in 1878, most of it being in the hands of Government, 

 and more than half of it consisting of Eucalyptus. Many Victorian 

 timbers are extremely dense and hard, such as Red Gum, Blue 

 Gum, White Gum or Peppermint, Messmate and Iron-bark {Euca- 

 lyptus rostrdta, globulus, amygdalina, obliqua, and leucoxylon), etc. ; 



