PODOCARPUS DACRYDIOIDES. Ae 
sively used for the framing and weather-boarding: at the date of my inspection 
they had been standing sixteen years, and had never been painted, but ground- 
plates, studs, and weather-boards were thoroughly sound and in good condition : 
so far as could be seen there was no reason why they should not last for many 
years longer. It was evident that the timber had not been selected, several of 
the studs being sappy, and in some cases showing the bark on one face. In 
1870 I visited Mr. Thorpe’s house at Ohinemuri; it was built of kahikatea in 
1850, and was in good condition at the date of my visit, although not equal to 
the cottages at Turua. 
In attempting to form a correct estimate of the durability of this timber it 
must be remembered that it speedily decays in damp situations or when in 
contact with the ground, and especially that, when under cover, it is liable to be 
attacked by a small boring beetle, the larvee of which drive their minute galleries 
through it in all directions, so that rafters and flooring-joists are unable to 
sustain the weight of roof or floor. This pest is troublesome in all parts of the 
colony, but is least injurious in Auckland and Otago. I have never seen it 
attack boards or scantling when exposed: its ravages are always effected under 
cover. In houses built of kahikatea, if the insects are allowed to remain undis- 
turbed, the floor may sometimes be found partially covered with minute conical 
heaps of wood-dust, showing the activity of the destructive worker in the ceiling 
above. There can be no question that the action of the borer is greatly 
facilitated by the use of unseasoned timber, especially if the boards have been 
closely stacked immediately after leaving the saw. On the other hand, there 
are good grounds for believing that timber felled during the winter months, and 
properly seasoned before being worked up, would be free from its attacks. It 
may be worth while to add that the insect may be destroyed by washing the 
affected timber with carbolic acid. 
In a report on the durability of native timber laid before the General Assem- 
bly of the colony in 1874 I stated that kahikatea occupied a similar relative posi- 
tion towards kauri and totara to that held by Baltic white deal (Picea excelsa) to 
the red or yellow deal of Europe (Pinus sylvestris); and will only add that, after 
wider observation, I consider it fully equal to that timber in all respects except 
durability, while it possesses the advantages of being more easily worked and 
taking a higher finish. 
When felled in the winter, and properly seasoned, kahikatea is suitable for 
all inside work, and for the framing of houses—studs, braces, partitions, ceiling- 
and flooring-boards, &c. Itis largely employed in the manufacture of white-wood 
furniture, and for large panels, dado-work, &c. Its toughness renders it valuable 
for the covering-boards of boats, for which purpose it is preferred before kauri. 
Immense quantities are used in all parts of the colony for packing-cases, &c. ; 
also for tallow-casks and other coopers’ ware. It is frequently used for fence- 
rails, which usually last from seven to eight years, if free from sap. 
The bushmen sometimes assert that the male tree affords more durable 
timber than the female; at others the wood of the female is said to be superior 
in this respect. In Marlborough I was repeatedly informed that the more 
durable kind with yellowish heartwood, which is there termed “‘sugar-loaf pine,”’ 
was the male plant, while that with the white heart was the female. There is, 
however, no ground for either assertion. 
Under cultivation the spreading leaves are retained for eight or ten years ; 
in the young state the annual vertical growth rarely exceeds 12in., and is usually 
less. 
