PREFACE. vil 
value, and far surpasses any work of the kind performed in New Zealand. 
Specimens were selected from logs taken from the base, middle, and upper 
portion of the tree, and from various places in each log, so that the sections 
tested represented nearly all stages of development between young and fully- 
matured timber. 
I have drawn freely from the results of the different series of experiments, 
and, while pointing out their discrepancies, have tried to do justice to the careful 
observation and patient labour exhibited by all. At the same time it must be 
stated that the omission of all mention of several vital points materially detracts 
from the value of the results obtained: no information is given, for instance, as 
to the age of the tree experimented upon, the time of year at which it was 
felled, or the nature of its habitat, whether rocky or swampy, sandy or argil- 
laceous, &c.; yet these and other points are of great importance in determining 
the average strength of any timber. It was intended to carry out a copious 
series of experiments with the chief New Zealand woods, in which these matters 
would have received proper attention, and to accompany the statement of results 
with drawings of the structure of cach kind as shown under the microscope ; 
but this has been frustrated for the present by the abolition of the Forestry 
Department. 
Most of the drawings were made by draughtsmen of the Survey Depart- 
ment, and a few by Mr. D. Blair and Mr. A. Hamilton. The whole of the 
plates were printed at the Government Lithographing Establishment under the 
direction of Mr. A. Barron, and the letter-press at the Government Printing 
Office. 
It has been deemed advisable to include drawings of a few small species of 
Coniferze on account of their interesting character, although they possess but 
little economic value. 
As it was intended that the work should be published in parts no attempt 
was made to arrange the species in systematic order; but a synopsis of the 
characters of the orders and genera included in this work is presented in the 
Appendix, together with a Glossary of Derivations and another of Botanical 
Terms. 
Owing to many of the plates having been drawn during the absence of the 
author from Wellington a few slight errors have crept into the work, but happily 
they are not of sufficient importance to cause inconvenience. 
I have to express my thanks to numerous correspondents who have rendered 
assistance in supplying recent specimens or furnishing special information during 
the progress of this work, and would specially mention the names of Mr. Justice 
Gillies, Mr. J. D. Enys, F.G.S., Mr. J. Buchanan, F’.L.S., Mr. T. F. Cheese- 
man, F.L.S., Mr. R. Helms, Mr. W. Colenso, F.R.S., Mr. C. Traill, and the 
Ven. Archdeacon W. L. Williams. 
Fanuary, 1889. 
