41 
situations. It splits well, and makes excellent shingles for roofs ; and 
is very extensively used for posts in fencing. The heavier articles of 
furniture are sometimes made of it; and the portion of its wood which 
grows under a u knot,” (or large warty excrescence, often seen on its 
trunk,) is peculiarly veined, owing to its grain there being very tor¬ 
tuous, and when polished highly beautiful. Those “ knots” are eagerly 
sought after for veneering purposes in England, but the supply hitherto 
has been very scanty. ( Vide § iv. sequente .) 
(iii.) The Kahikatea, or White, or Swamp, Pine, (Podocarpus dacry- 
dioides,) is the next commonly used timber tree. It is the most 
generally diffused throughout the North Island of all the timber trees, 
often forming large forests; and is almost invariably found in wet spots 
and swampy situations, and often on tlie low banks of rivers, at a much 
lower elevation than its congeners. It often grows to the height of 100 
feet, and as its trunk is generally clear from living branches, it presents 
a tolerably clean barrel of from 50 to 70 feet. Its trunk, however, is 
frequently not so regularly formed as those of the other Podocarpi and 
the Kauri, being sometimes largely ribbed or buttressed for some dis¬ 
tance upwards from its base. This tree is anything but handsome when 
growing* in the close forest ; often, however, a single tree is met with 
standing alone and forming a very beautiful object. The timber of this 
tree has been, and is, pretty extensively used for all common purposes, 
apart from exposure or wet. It is the most easily obtained of all the 
New Zealand timbers - 7 but, owing to its tendence to rot when exposed, 
and to its scarcely ever seasoning, (continually contracting and expand 
ing with the state of the weather,) it is only used when others are not to 
he bad, For in-door work, however, it is often advantageously used. 
It is straight-grained, and where free from knots works easily. It has 
been used for spars for small vessels; and is sometimes split for fence- 
rails, and for roof shingles. It is often found having fissures in the 
wood, filled with a hard dry adhesive gum-resin, which is difficult to cut 
or remove. It is said, that trees which have grown on a slope, or on 
gravelly land, possess closer-grained and more durable timber, than those 
of the low wet lands. Choice parts of the wood of this tree, from its 
light yellow colour, and rich changeable sparkling grain, are sometimes 
advantageously used as a contrast wood by the Cabinet Maker, to set 
oh the darker coloured woods. 
(iv.) The Ptimu, or Ked Pine, (Dacrydium cupressinum,) another 
large size timber tree, is also common throughout the North Island; but 
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