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2. Its alleged special tendency to shakiness. —Mr. Robert Kaleski, who 
formerly resided on the Dorrigo, wrote to me four or five years ago :— 
Rosewood grows about 120 to 160 feet, about 12 feet girth, sometimes round in barrel, sometimes 
very spurry ; clean barrel like l'est of scrub timbers. Faultiest tree for the mill in N.S.W., apparently 
sound trees shaking and splitting when broken down on the bench. Will not take glue, and will last 
for posts and blocks about eight years in the ground. Never loses scent; goes for same soil as Cedar. 
Mature trees nearly always rotten inside, often only a shell; sort of white ant responsible for this; goes 
in at the bottom of spurs and works upwards. Generally grows in clumps like Cedar. Belt runs from 
W. to N.E.; large quantity at N.E. at Paddy’s Plain. Is at present being cut for Germany for the mills. 
Very pretty figuring, woolly to work, grain too short for building stuff. Fairly durable in weather; fair 
amount available. Has red seed (fruit, J. H. M.) something like a small cherry. 
Out of 100,000 feet standing, which I bought on speculation, I could only find 30,000 to fall, and 
40 per cent, of that proved to be faulty when down, some appai-ently sound trees splitting in halves, when 
hitting the ground, from end to end. Its drawing weight is 300 feet to a ton. Very liable to develop 
shakes after being sawn a few weeks. Tree always unsound if dead branches on top. My own selection 
contained more Rosewood than any one I know of on the Dorrigo. 
This is an exact copy. In 1893 I wrote, after a careful inspection of the 
Dorrigo :— 
Rosewood.—A fine tree 5 feet 6 inches in diameter and 140 feet to the first branch was seen, but 
although the northern portion of the Dorrigo is full of Rosewood (merchantable), say 4 feet in diameter, it 
does not attain the same magnificent dimensions that it does in parts of the coast districts. 
Nearly all our brush timbers lack tensile strength, and, particularly when 
they attain a large size, they require careful felling, otherwise the logs may be 
injured. In Europe, the injury to timber in falling is very carefully guarded 
against, but here special precautions to break the fall of a large tree, e.g., by dropping 
it on smaller worthless timber, is very rarely thought of. Cedar is often shaken by 
careless felling. I have already stated that the Rosewood trees of the Dorrigo are 
not so fine as those of the coast belt, and if the large percentage of over-mature trees 
on the Dorrigo be as stated by Mr. Kaleski, then the sooner, in any rational system 
of forestry, they are cut out to make room for young growth the better. Over¬ 
mature trees only cumber the ground, and are a hindrance and a perplexity to the 
forester. 
In view of Mr. Kaleski’s very strong language, “ Faultiest tree for the mill 
in N.S.W.,” the following passage from the report of Mr. Boorman, Collector, 
Botanic Gardens, to me, is interesting. He wrote me from the Macpherson Range, 
and has never seen Mr. Kaleski’s report:— 
This (Rosewood) is a very large tree, of immense timber-producing qualities, as, in addition to size, 
it is perfectly sound throughout. 
I want to get at the truth in regard to our timbers. 1 always state their 
alleged defects when I know them, for we must be as careful in stating defects as 
in attributing excellencies. 
Size.— 
One of the largest trees in the district in which it is found, varying in height from 70 to 100 feet, 
and from 4 to 5 feet in diameter.—(C. Moore, loc. cit.) 
Tall and massive trees of 100-140 feet, 20 to 30 feet at base. Acacia Creek, Macpherson Range, 
N.S.W.—(W. Dunn and J. L. Boorman.) 
