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the value of this observation, it should, of course, be borne in mind that neither of 
these States possesses a series of excellent timbers such as New South Wales 
can boast of. At the same time it is quite possible that Tasmanian and Victorian 
grown timbers of this species are superior to that grown in New South Wales. 
Howitt, a leading Victorian authority, groups it as a “second-class timber,” adding 
that 
Although a fairly durable and useful timber, it has generally the fault of being more or less full of 
gum-veins, and is thus unsuitable for many purposes. 
Another authority states :— 
Although of an inferior class, it is used for a great variety of building purposes, notwithstanding 
some liability to warp or twist.Supplies a good deal of second-class sawn timber in the market.— 
(Mueller, in Cat. Tech. Mus., Melbourne.) 
As this work seeks to impartially report on the qualities of the products of 
the various species, in whatever State they are produced, some lengthy statements 
in regard to Tasmanian-grown timber are given at this place. 
Following is a report by Mr. Allan Ransome, of London, on a Tasmanian 
sample (see Kew Bulletin, May, 1889) :— 
A very strong, tough wood, with a straight grain, in appearance somewhat resembling American 
Ash. From its great strength and toughness it is well adapted for carriage, cart, and waggon building, 
wheel-work, and agricultural machinery, as well as for the framing of railway carriages and trucks. It is 
also a valuable wood for the stronger description of building constructions, and would make excellent 
railway sleepers. From the peculiar strength of the fibre of the grain, it will not maintain a good surface, 
as, even when perfectly dry, the grain rises, so as to render it impossible to polish it successfully. 
An official report says :— 
Stringybark can be obtained in patches all over Tasmania, but is most abundant in the south ; 
like the Blue Gum ( E. globulus) it can be got of any reasonable length or size. It is of quicker growth 
than the gum, and is of a lighter and milder nature generally. The timber is much used in Tasmania and 
in the adjacent colonies for house-building, &c. To ensure durability, the wood requires fair seasoning. 
The different varieties are :—Gum-top Stringybark, Brown and AVhite Stringybark (the brown being the 
older growth). The AVhite Stringybark makes good palings and shingles. 
Another official report says :— 
Eucalyptus obliqua (Stringybark) is our most valuable wood. It differs from and is better than the 
Stringybark of Australia. The timber is light-coloured, and varies considerably from a brown wood, 
resembling oak, to a much lighter-coloured wood, resembling ash ; and because of the great vai’iety of its 
uses and its abundance, is more valuable, economically, than Blue Gum. The bark might be made a source 
of income, as it is suitable for the manufacture of paper. 
The timber, as I have already hinted, appears to be more valued in Tasmania 
than on the mainland; its utilisation, as a paper-making material, is not likely to 
have any commercial importance. 
The following account of E. obliqua timber is taken from Mr. A. O. Green’s 
pamphlet on “Tasmanian Timbers” (1902). It and the Blue Gum (E. globulus) 
are the two most valuable timbers of Tasmania, hence the comparison by Mr. Green 
and by the author already quoted :— 
Stringybark trees are very much more widely distributed through the island than the Blue Gum 
(E. globulus), growing over large tracts of poor, hilly country. They attain to an immense size—up to 
