Proceedings of the Victoria Institute. 
Thursday, 15th April, 1894. 
Sylvester Devenish , M.A., Vice-President , in the Chair. 
A paper on. Cutting Timber in Trinidad by R. J. Lechmere 
Guppy, was read. The following is an abstract thereof. 
ON CUTTING TIMBER IN TRINIDAD. 
By R. J. Lechmere Guppy. 
( Abstract.) 
The author first called attention to the different characters 
of Forest and Timber Trees in different countries and climates. 
Through a great part of Australia the woods were open while 
the timber was hardwood and involved somewhat different 
treatment to the timber of other temperate climates. In New 
Zealand the timber was very fine and belonged chiefly to the 
Coniferous division of Plants. Here immense forests had been 
destroyed by fire leaving only in places islands as it were of 
the grand trees known as kahikatea and other gregarious 
pines. The totara, a wood much like cedar, was not quite 
so gregarious. The author gave some particulars as to the 
modes in use of cutting down and cutting up these trees. 
He referred to the use of the axe, the saw, (cross-cut and pit) 
to the setting out of the lengths of logs, the procedure for 
getting the logs on to the pit, the breaking-down and hitching 
of the log when on the pit, etc., etc. He then contrasted these 
methods with those in use so far as his own observations 
