December i, 1890.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
451 
good-sized holes being of course dug for the reception 
of the plants or seed, and time for thorough 
geration being allowed before the seedlings or the 
seeds are deposited. The fact I have mentioned 
of specially fioe timber trees growing best on hard 
ironstone soil has been stated by Baron Von Mueller 
and other writers on Australian trees, and has been 
repeated by the author of a paper on some of the 
leading Australian timbers written for the Institution 
of Oivil Engineers in 1887, and to which Mr. Walter 
Tringham has been good enough to draw my 
attention. Mr. Chamier, m. i. c. e,, the writer in 
question, gives a fair account of the conflicting 
testimony as to the power of jarrah to resist the 
attacks of the white-ant and teredo navalis. It 
seems to be certain that jarrah is one of the best 
wood for jetties and for many other purposes. Those 
purposes do not include its use as firewood, how- 
ever; for Baron Von Mueller dwells on its non- 
inflammability as its great merit for roof shingles. 
The cost of working some of the best Australian 
timbers is great, on account of their weight and 
extreme hardness. But such qualities add to their 
value as sources of hard wood sleepers for railways. 
In this purpose, however, karri and red gum 
{E rostrata) timber seems superior to that of jarrah. 
It is interesting to learn from Mr. Chamier that 
he accompanied the late Mr. W. T. Doyne (the 
first Chief Engineer of the Colombo-Kandy railway) 
on an ofBcial visit to Western Australia for the 
purpose of reporting on harbour improvements 
when the magnificent jarrah forests and their 
utilization were reported on by Mr. Doyne. But 
the Government contented itself by according liberal 
encouragement to private enterprise. The export 
is considerable, and the demand in advance of 
supply. On the estate whence I write, as I lately 
mentioned, we have found this fine tree by no 
means a slow grower, and specimens of this eucalypt 
and of E. robunta are amongst our finest trees. 
The timber of the jarrah, like all others, would 
be more valuable and appreciated, if it were well 
seasoned. Karri, which grows to the size of 300 
to 400 feet, resembles jarrah, but is not so red in 
colour. Its transverse strength is superior and it 
can be obtained in pieces of enormous size. Bed 
gum {E. rostrata) differs from jarrah and karri, 
in preferring moist situations and yet its timber 
is of the very best quality, and is a special favourite 
for railway sleepers. This is the tree to grow 
beside streams or in swamps. Next to red gum 
Mr. Chamier classes the various iron barks, 
E. siderophloia, found mainly in New South Wales 
and Queensland. Its timber is one of the hardest 
and stronges t in existence. But it is of such slow 
growth that it may not be so suitable as many 
of its congeners for cultivation in Ceylon. The 
next tree mentioned by the writer is the world- 
famous blue gum (E. glolulus), which _ grows 
rapidly enough in Ceylon and can be coppiced for 
firewood, but it seems to flourish in many other 
countries, the Cape, Algeria and even Italy, better 
than in many parts of our island. The timber is 
good, but, unless well seasoned, is apt to warp and 
shrn k. Mr. Chamier’s list closes with stringy 
bark (E, obliqua). This, with E. gigantea and E. 
capiitcllata, yields the bulk of the “ hard wood” used 
in Australia, useful for a large number of purposes, 
although not equal to those trees previously noticed. 
lu the same volume of the Proceedings of the 
Institution of Civil Engineers is a paper on useful 
Japan timbers, by Mr. J H. T. Turner, Assoc. 
M.i. c. E. The writer states “ Of the 120 kinds of 
Japanese timber catalogued by the late Dr. Gesto, 
in the transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, 
the six following have boon selected for notice, as 
^bose wbiob chiefly coacera the builder, namely 
Shira, Kashi, Keyaki, Aku Matsu, Kuro Matsu, 
Hinoki, and Sugi.” The last-named is the so-called 
cedar, Grgptomeria japonica, of the timber of which 
most of the tea boxes used in Ceylon are made. Of 
Momi,” which is advertised as preferable, in being 
destitute of odour, I find no mention. The shocks 
we get here are composed entirely of Sugi wood, 
which is just a superior kind of deal, occa- 
sionally prettily marked with wavy shadings, 
so that I cannot doubt its looking well aa 
furniture or wainscoting, if polished and var- 
nished. But neither when I have stood close to 
the carpenters when they were planing and fitting 
the pieces have I observed any marked odour, nor 
have we ever had complaint of its affecting the tea 
through the lead lining. The tree, C. japoidaa, is 
very largely and successfully grown in and around 
Nuwara Eliya and personally I have readily invested 
in a pound of the seed advertised by Messrs. 
Mackwood at so moderate a price. Apart from 
our own experience of this handsome, araucaria- 
like tree, the sight of some fine specimens, well, 
grown at an early age, in the Hakgala Gardena 
yesterday quite reassured us of this being a good tree 
to grow. iSo, we should think must be the very 
handsome Finns sinensis, resembling considerably in 
foliage that king of pines, the Finns longifolia of the 
Himalayas, with its copious bunches of foliage con- 
sisiting of spines so long and elastic as to look like 
masses of green hair. Mr. Nook is growing some 
other pines, including Pinus cf.nariensis. The sugi, 
or Crijptomeria japonica, may not yield a first-class 
timber ; but it is useful and easily wrought, and, 
although last on Mr. Turner’s list, it stands well 
with us for readiness of growth and beauty of form. 
Specimens of a little over four years old in Nuwara 
Eliya are over 20 feet high, although they have put 
on abundance of lateral branches from the root 
upwards. The timber is useful for house work aa 
well as for tea boxes and like purposes, Mr. Turner 
describes Keyaki as the most important of his group. 
Its scientific name is Zellcova Kealci. The wood is 
light brown, strong and durable, handsomely marked 
and takes a fine polish, so that it is valued for 
furniture. This tree ought, if possible, to be intro- 
duced into Ceylon. The Sbira Kashi is an oak, 
{Quercus glauca), and, therefore, not likely to be suc- 
cessful here. The Aka Matsu or Me Matsu or Red 
Pine (Pinus densiflora) seems a very useful tree 
equally good for house building and all kinds of car- 
pentery. This tree ought, also, to be tried in Ceylon. 
Bo also, ought the Kuro Matsu or 0-Matsu (Finns 
Thunbergii), the common timber of the Japan 
hill forests. Still more valuable, apparently, is the 
Hinoki (Chaecypario obtusa), good for house con- 
struction, railway sleepers and cabinet work. — In 
Japan, as in many other countries, the trees are cut 
at too early an ago and the timber is very imperfectly 
seasoned. The proper cutting age of the trees 
named varies from 30 to 60 years, but there can 
be little doubt that in our climate maturity will be 
attained at half the periods required in Japan. 
Many of the trees good for timber at an advanced 
age must bo useful for fuel at much early periods 
of their existence, a good proportion coppicing freely. 
Gryptomeria japonica, we cannot doubt, will coppice 
well, seeing that it can be easily propjgated from cut- 
tings. This we know from experience aa well as from 
books. Mr. Turner mentions that in Japan “ neglect 
of seasoning is seldom aggravated by the use of paint 
of any kind, but it is not unusual to stain wood 
with shibu (the juice of persimmon) darkened 
with lamp black or ashes. Shibu is a powerful 
astringent, and does not hinder the sap from 
leaving the green timber, whilst it affords some 
protection from the weather.” We suppose most 
of out readers are aware that lime in moderate 
