TASMANIAN TIMBER 
249 
18 inches X 6 inclies sawn clear of heart and sap was 
exhibited at the London Exhibition of 1851, since which 
time great inroads have been made on this valuable 
timber. The average hardness of blue gum, according to 
tests made by M, Kudeloff, is about the same as that of 
hornbeam. 
Mr. Ainslie and Mr. Forsyth, foremen of works at 
Hobart, report that they have taken blue gum and stringy 
bark timber from the wharves where it had been in use 
for beams and planking for twenty-six to thirty-five years 
in good order, and blue gum which had been in place for 
thirty years was as " good as the day it was put there." 
It is classed in Lloyd's third list for shipbuilding. Blue 
gum is found almost exclusively in the southern portion of 
the island. 
Stringy Bark {E. ohliqua) often attains a height of 250 ft., 
but much of the timber is rendered valueless by gum 
veins and blotches. The wood varies in colour from pale 
straw to light brown, it is softer than blue gum, is not so 
sound or lasting a timber, and is subject to seasoning 
cracks. When well seasoned, however, it is suitable and 
much used for flooring, dados, and internal fittings, and is 
more generally used in house-building than blue gum, as 
it is more easily worked and not so heavy ; when planed it 
much resembles English oak. Called Messmate in Victoria. 
Weight of well-seasoned samples from 48 to 66 lbs. per 
cubic foot. 
Ash or Swamp Gum {E. regnans) greatly resembles blue 
gum in outward appearance, but is of much more open 
grain than either blue gum or stringy bark, and often 
attains a greater size than either. It is identical with the 
mountain ash of Victoria, and is useful for interior work 
