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(b) Foreign— 
American Hickory ( Ccurya tomentosa). Indian Teak ( Tectona grandis). 
American Ash ( Fraximus americana). 
The woods mentioned in Division (a) by no means exhaust the number of New South Wales timbers 
suitable for carriage work, and from recent experiments and tests made by this Museum and local firms, 
the following were found to be excellent for coachbuilding, and are now for the first time recommended to 
the trade:— 
Ashes (Mountain)— 
E. delegatensis, R.T.B. 
E. fraxinoides, H.D. et J.H.M. 
E. oreades, R.T.B. 
E. Sieberiana, F.v.M. 
Blue Fig ( Elceocarpus grandis, F.v.M.). 
Coachwood (Ceratopetalum apetalum , Don.). 
Giant Gum ( Eucalyptus regnans, F.v.M.). 
Grey Gum ( E. propinqua, H.D. et J.H.M.). 
Myrtle ( Fagus Cunninghamiana). 
Negro Head Beech ( Fagus Moorei, F.v.M.). 
Slaty Gum ( Eucalyptus Dawsoni, R.T.B.). 
Stringybarks—- 
E. carnea, R.T.B. 
E. eugenioides, Sieb. 
E. Icevopinea, R.T.B. 
White Mahoganies— 
E. acmenoides, Schau. 
E. umbra, R.T.B. 
Before proceeding to describe these woods in detail, it is perhaps as well to take a general view of 
our timbers from a commercial standpoint. 
When the first settlers arrived here the whole face, with the exception of the plains, was covered 
with an almost impenetrable forest. 
Settlement naturally brought with it the clearing of the land in order to provide the necessary 
agricultural and pastoral land, and so, however much the destruction of our forests is to be deplored, still 
in a measure it was inevitable. 
What one complains of is that at the beginning certain lands were not set apart for all time for 
forestry purposes in order to provide for a rainy day in our timber supply. 
In view of the enormous amount exported, it may perhaps be not far wrong to say that the rainy 
day, if not arrived, is within almost measurable distance in many parts of the State, and supplies must be 
sought for in foreign lands. 
It is not, however, a forlorn hope, for if the matter is taken up at once and handled in a scientific 
way, much might be done to meet the supply in the near, as well as the far future. 
LOCAL AND BOTANICAL NAMES. 
Much botanical study has been devoted to the systematic arrangement of our forest trees, and little 
remains to be done in this direction. This knowledge may not appear of much importance to the average 
workman, but its value to the members of so ancient a guild as the coachbuilders cannot be questioned. 
For only to give one illustration : when the trade decides that a particular timber, say a special Mountain 
Ash like Eucalyptus delegatensis, R.T.B., is excellent for coachbuilding, and should be propagated ; then 
it is the work of the botanist to see that none other than this particular species be cultivated, and not 
other species going under the same common name of Mountain Ash. 
Again, it is the botanist who is able to untangle the knot of local nomenclature, for a wood is often 
variously designated in the same or in different districts; and again, several different kinds are frequently 
found under an identical name. For example, the term “Blue Gum” is applied to at least half a dozen 
distinct species of Eucalyptus in various parts of the State. The inverse also holds true, for one species of 
Eucalyptus will be known by several common names, according to the district where found. 
This multiplicity of names for the same timber naturally results in confusion, and must lead to 
trouble and annoyance where a coachbuilder, say, by ordering a timber under a common name, receives 
quite a different wood to that wanted. It is very pleasing to note how quickly the bushmen pick up these 
names, and “ use no other.” The Convention will therefore make a distinct step forward if in future it 
will put an embargo on common names and ask the trade to use only species names. 
D 
