326 



THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



particularly in young trees. It is often 

 called "red ironl)ark," particularly from 

 northern localities. This ironbark froni 

 the Clarence and further north is apt to 

 shell and split on exposure, and hence is 

 not liked for engineering purposes. As 

 a general rule it is a really fine ironbark. 

 It resembles the preyious one in quality 

 of timber. 



Distribution. — Broad-leaved ironbark 

 occurs from the Clyde Mountains in the 

 south, along the coast ranges, to Queens- 

 land. Westward it is found as far as 

 Wellington and Dubbo, also at Mudgee. 

 Mr. Deane informs me that, with E. 

 crelra, it is found from Dubbo to the 

 north-western line. 



Red Ieonbaek {Eucalyptus sideroxylon, 

 A. Cunn.) 

 The wood of this is the deepest in 

 colour, and also the softest and least 

 valuable of the ironbarks. The tree is 

 often pipy and gnarled, but in some 

 places (e.g., the Mudgee district) it is a 

 fine timber tree. Where one of the 

 other ironbarks is available, this iron- 

 bark suffers by comparison ; nevertheless, 

 it is a useful timber, and is employed in 

 public works for such purposes as railway 

 sleepers and posts, where long lengths are 

 unnecessary. Frequently good lengths 

 cannot be obtained, and if they could, 

 the tensile strength of this timber is not 

 equal to that of the best ironbark. 



Sometimes it is called "'Mugga," and 

 it has been regarded with unreasoning 

 prejudice, instead of being judged on its 

 merits. To call any timber by such a 

 name as "Mugga" is to inflict an irrepar- 

 able injury upon it. 



Distribution. — Eed ironbark is found 

 principally in the auriferous disiiicts of 

 the western and south-western interior. 

 It is generally found on poor, sterile 

 ranges, and is usually unaccompanied by 

 any other species of ironbark. 



I have dealt with the question of dis- 

 tribution in speaking of individual iron- 

 barks. But as regards the coast iron- 

 barks, the most important commercially, 

 it may be pointed out that they and 

 sj^otted gum often grow together. The 

 principal localities on the south coast are 



Bermangui, Eed Head, Wagonga, 

 Moruya, and the Clyde Eiver. On the 

 north coast we have Wyong, Ourimbah, 

 Blue Gum Flat, Port Stephens, Cape 

 Hawke, Manning Eiv&r, Camden Haven, 

 Port Macquarie, and so on to the Tweed. 



Quantity available. — In spite of the 

 reckless extravagance with which thi,-' 

 timber has been cut, it is by no means 

 scarce, especially in some localities, a few 

 miles from the coast. While it is a verj 

 slow-growing tree, there is some consola- 

 tion in the fact that it usually grows 

 in barren, rocky country, unsuitable for 

 agriculture, and therefore wholesale 

 clearings are not made as is the case with 

 many other timbers. At the same time 

 it does not readily reafforest. 



White Mahogany (Eucalyptus acmeiwi-, 

 des, Schauer.) 

 Name. — This is a pale-coloured tim- 

 ber, which bears no resemblance either 

 to the mahogany of commerce or to the 

 red or forest mahogany of New South 

 Wales. It gets its name because of its 

 pale colour, and because the bark of the 

 tree was thought to resemble that of the 

 red mahogany. The name is in universal 

 use in the Colony, and cannot now bi; 

 disturbed. 



Characteristics. — To say that it resem- 

 bles tallow-wood a good deal, but that it 

 is paler in colour, that it is not greasy, 

 and harder than the better know timber, 

 will perhaps give a good idea of it. It is 

 one of the most durable timbers in New 

 South Wales. I know of posts of it in 

 different part of the Colony quite sound 

 after the vicissitudes of more than half 

 a century. It chief drawback is some 

 tendency to shell off. Users of it assure 

 me that it is far more durable than iron- 

 bark or box. It is a tough, strong, useful 

 timb&r. 



Principal uses. — I believe it will be 

 found an excellent timber for woodblocks, 

 but I would discourage exportation of it 

 at present, except under close supervision, 

 as I have known stringybark substituted 

 for it, ])erliaps through inadvertence. Its 

 hardness is a drawback, and the trees are 

 sometimes unsound; but it is so good a 

 timber that I would invite our timber 



