NEW ZEALAND FORESTRY. 
PART I.—THE KAURI FOREST. 
THE LARGEST TIMBER-YIELDING TREE IN THE WORLD: ITS CLIMATE, 
GROWTH, TIMBER, AND RESIN. 
““The noble Kauri trees, the most valuable production ‘of the (North) Island.” 
—CHARLES DARWIN, 
THe Kauri* tree in New Zealand was discovered about the time that 
scientific forestry in Europe had begun to show clearly what 1t could do 
towards its modern development—Germany getting £24,000,000 yearly 
out of its cultivated forests, and paying £7,000,000 in wages to a popu- 
lation not far short of that of the whole of New Zealand, a population 
settled permanently on the soil and engaged in working the forests: this, 
too, with timbers inferior to New Zealand timbers and averaging only 
half the price on the local markets. 
Early in 1800 a trade in Kauri spars sprang up between Sydney 
and the Bay of Islands. By 1810 the value of Kauri was established 
in Australia. The ‘‘ Boyd,’’? whose crew were massacred and the ship 
blown up by the Maoris, was calling for a cargo of spars for the Cape 
of Good Hope when the catastrophe happened. Earle relates that in 
1827 the big ship ‘‘ Harmony,’’ of London, was loaded up im a few days 
at Hokianga with Kauri spars, while at the same time there was a party 
of Scotch pit-sawyers assisted by Natives on shore. In South Africa 
there are similar parties of white pit-sawyers assisted by Natives to 
this day. 
The Totara was the favourite tree of the Maoris, perhaps because 
it was more easily hollowed with their Greenstone axes than the solid, 
sound Kauri. But the Kauri leapt into fame as soon as it was dis- 
covered by Europeans. Samples of the timber were sent to England 
and attracted much attention. In 1820 the Admiralty despatched two 
naval store-ships to obtain cargoes of Kauri for experimental purposes 
(Cheeseman). Kauri timber proved so good that some years later Laslet, 
the famous constructor to the Admiralty and author of the oft-quoted 
classic on timber, came himself to New Zealand to see the famous timber 
-. on the spot. This was before the British flag was hoisted. 

* In accordance with a growing practice the specific part of botanical names is spelt 
uniformly with a small letter; popular names with a large.letter. The author of the 
botanical name and the botanical name itself are omitted unless really necessary for 
identification. Reference lists of common and botanical names (from Cheeseman’s 
«‘ Manual of the New Zealand Flora’’) will be found under the heading ‘* Native Trees,”’ 
in Part IT. 
1—F¥orestry. 
