NEW ZEALAND TIMBERS 241 
sleepers. The worms get into the sapwood, which is 
clearly defined and of light colour and about an inch 
thick in a 3 ft. diameter tree. A refreshing and intoxi- 
cating drink is obtained by boring a hole through the 
bark, when the Hquid issues " in a sparkling stream." It 
is stronger than Totara but less durable. The tree attains 
a height of 70 feet. 
Weight 35 to 49 lbs. per cubic foot. 
Kahikatea or white pine (P. dacrydioides) is a tree which 
attains a height of over 150 ft. and sometimes a diameter of 
5 ft., and is often unbranched for nearly 100 ft. The timber 
is like ordinary yellow deal or Canary whitewood in appear- 
ance and has a large proportion of sapwood. It should not 
be employed in outside situations or in damp ground, but 
for inside work is considered as good as American yellow 
pine, and some consider it superior. In some of the larger 
trees, and those grown on dry situations, the core of bright 
yellow wood is very strong and shows fair endurance in 
damp and exposed situations. Used for flooring and also 
by furniture makers to a small extent, it is also well 
adapted for making doors. Eeadily attacked by boring 
insects in the colony, but probably not more so than 
imported timber ; it is used a good deal for butter boxes 
both in the colony and in Australia, owing to its freedom 
from acids, oils, or resins likely to taint the butter. It 
would probably make good wood pulp. A good deal of 
this wood has recently been brought into the English 
markets in planks and can be offered in prime quality and 
of an average width of 18 inches ; some can be had even up 
to 40 inches wide, remarkably free from knots and defects, 
and of considerable lengths. It is less liable to warp than 
Canary whitewood and takes polish remarkably well. 
Weight up to 26 to 35 lbs. per cubic foot. 
