1918.] The N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology. 
143 
may have contributed to the relative immunity of the specimens of white- 
pine in the Museum. 
In view of the threatened shortage of local supplies of timber, it is of 
importance that the utmost should be made of what we now have. One 
source of waste is due to the ravages of the borer, which necessitates the 
replacement of a considerable amount of timber by fresh material. There 
is no doubt that this waste could be minimized by the adoption of methods 
of sterilization in connection with building-timbers. Some of these pro¬ 
cesses would not only prevent entirely the attacks of the borer, but would 
prolong the life of the timber as well, and have no deleterious effect on human 
life. Some specifics are naturally open to this objection— e.g., corrosive sub¬ 
limate and arsenic. A thoroughly satisfactory method of treatment on a 
small scale has been found to be the soaking of the timber in petrol in 
which carbolic acid and camphor are dissolved. These are effective as far 
as the petrol penetrates the wood, and would therefore protect new timbers 
entirely. But both these substances no doubt disappear from the wood in 
time, the former as a result of the action of water, in which carbolic acid 
is slightly soluble, and the latter owing to its gradually passing off as a 
vapour. It is possible that the substitution of naphthalene for the carbolic 
acid would to some extent obviate these slight objections. This is sup¬ 
ported by the statement of Charpentier* that the presence of naphthalene 
in creosote largely determines its value as a preservative, although it is 
generally held that the carbolic acid contained in the creosote is the most 
important constituent. 
Botanical Name of Specimen. 
Number of 
Specimens. 
Number 
immune. 
Number 
attacked. 
Maori or Local Name. 
Agathis australis Lamb. 
1 
1 
Kauri. 
Alectryon excelsum Gaertn. 
2 
2 
• • 
Titoki. 
Aristotelia racemosa Hook, f 
3 
2 
1 
Makomako, wineberry. 
jBeilschmiedia tawa Benth. & Hook. f. 
1 
, , 
1 
Tawa. 
•Carpodetus serratus Forst. 
3 
3 
a . 
Putaputaweta. 
■Coprosma Cunninghamii Hook. f. 
1 
1 
. . 
Mingimingi, yellow-wood. 
- divaricata A. Cunn. 
3 
2 
1 
99 9 9 
- linariifolia Hook. f. 
1 
1 
99 99 
- parviflora Hook. f. .. • 
1 
1 
99 9 9 
- propinqua A. Cunn. 
1 
1 
9 9 9 ? 
- rhamnoides A. Cunn. 
1 
1 
9 9 9 9 
- rotundifolia A. Cunn. 
1 
1 
9 9 9 9 
- spathulata A. Cunn. 
1 
1 
9 9 9 9 
■Coriaria ruscifolia Linn. 
1 
1 
Tutu. 
Cory nocar pus laevigata Forst. 
1 
1 
Karaka. 
Dacrydium cupressinum Soland... 
2 
1 
1 
Rimu, red-pine. 
- Colensoi Hook. . . 
2 
1 
1 
Manoao, silver-pine. 
Discaria toumatou Raoul 
2 
2 
Tumatukuru, wild-irish¬ 
man. 
Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. 
1 
1 
Akeake. 
Dracophyllum scoparium Hook. f. 
1 
1 
Grass-tree. 
- Traversii Hook. f. 
1 
1 
Drimys axillaris Forst. 
2 
2 
Horopito. 
- colorata Raoul 
1 
1 
9 9 
Dysoxylum spectabile Blume 
2 
2 
Ivohekohe. 
* P. Charpentier, Timber—a Comprehensive Study of Wood in all its Aspects 
((English translation, J. Kennell), 1902. 
