82 



SELECT PLANTS READILY ELIGIBLE 



posts, piles, and railway, sleepers; for the latter purpose it will 

 last at least a dozen years, and, if well selected, much longer. 

 It is also extensively used by shipbuilders for main-stem, 

 stern-post, inner-post, dead-wood, floor-timbers, futtocks, 

 transoms, knight-head, hawsepieces, cant, stern, quarter and 

 fashion timber, bottom-planks, breasthooks and riders, wind- 

 lass, bowrails, &c. It should be steamed before it is worked 

 for planking. Next to the Jarrah from West Australia, this 

 is the best wood for resisting the attacks of sea worms and 

 white ants. Eor other details of the uses of this and other 

 native trees refer to the Heports of the Victorian Exhibitions 

 of 1862 and 1867. The tree attains a height of fully 100 

 feet. The supply for our local wants falls already short, and 

 cannot be obtained from Tasmania, where the tree does not 

 naturally exist. E. rostrata was observed by Dr. Bonavia in 

 the province of Oude to thrive well in places where E. globu- 

 lus, E. obliqua and E. marginata perished under the extreme 

 vicissitudes of the clime. It will live in swamps. 



Eucalyptus siderophloia, Bentham. 



The Large-leaved or Red Ironbark-tree of New South Wales 

 and South Queensland. According to the Rev. Dr. Woolls 

 this furnishes one of the strongest and most durable timbers 

 of New South Wales ; with great advantage used for railway- 

 sleepers and for many building purposes. It is harder even 

 than the wood of E. sideroxylon, but thus also worked with 

 more diflS.culty. 



Eucalyptus Stuartiana, F. v. Mueller. 



South-East Australia. A splendid tree, attaining a height of 

 200 feet, and furnishing a very dui'able tough wood. 



Eucalyptus tereticornis, Smith.* 



From East Queensland to Gipps Land. Closely allied to E. 

 rostrata and seemingly not inferior to it in value. 



Eucalyptus tesselaris, F. v. Mueller. 



North Australia and Queensland. Furnishes a brown, 

 rather elastic wood, not very hard, available for many kinds 

 of artisan's work, and particularly sought for staves and 

 flooring. The tree exudes much astringent gum-resin 

 (P. O'Shanesy). — Many other Eucalypts could have been 

 mentioned as desii^able for wood culture, but it would have 

 extended this enumeration beyond the limits assigned to it. 

 Moreover, the quality of many kinds is not yet sufficiently 

 ascertained, or not yet fully appreciated even by the artisans 

 and woodmen. All the Eucalypts are valuable for the 

 production of tar, pitch, acetic acid, potash and various dye 

 substances. 



