154 AGATHIS AUSTRALIS. 
burning of scrub or bush during the dry months. This subject is assuming 
sreater importance year by year with the decrease of the kauri. 
The average selling price of kauri for the last three years has been about 
IOs. per 100 superficial feet for cargoes at the mills. 
A cargo sold by auction on the Clyde in May last realised from 2s, 7d. to 
2s. gd. per cubic foot—say, from 21s. to 23s. per 100 superficial feet. 
KauRI-RESIN. 
It has been already stated that all parts of the tree are charged with resin, 
which exudes from the slightest wound, at first as a colourless turpentine, which 
speedily solidifies on exposure to the atmosphere and assumes a dull-white 
colour: even the leaves of felled trees usually exhibit several small white patches 
when they begin to shrivel. Not unfrequently the turpentine exudes and forms 
large masses of solid resin in the forks of branches; or it may exude on the 
underside of a branch, especially at its junction with the trunk, forming rounded 
masses usually termed ‘‘tears.’”’ This resin forms the ‘‘ kauri-gum”’ of com- 
merce. 
But the quantity of resin collected in a fresh state is extremely trivial when 
compared with the quantity of fossil resin dug up year by year on ground 
formerly covered by kauri-forest, and not unfrequently out of swamps which 
cover buried forest. In this state it usually occurs in irregularly-shaped pieces, 
varying from a few ounces to many pounds in weight. After being dug up it 
is carefully scraped to free it from dirt, and when sorted according to quality 
it is packed in cases for the English and American markets. The scrapings and 
dust are usually sold for the manufacture of ‘ fire-kindlers.”’ 
It is not easy to account for the aggregation of this resin in masses, lying 
sometimes as much as 6ft. or 7ft. below the surface of the soil. It is commonly 
supposed to be due to old forests having been destroyed by fire; but this would 
involve the destruction of the resin, or at least the greater part of it. [Fresh 
resin is of a dull-white colour, but fossil resin is of a rich-brown varying greatly 
in depth of tint, some specimens being translucent, or even transparent: on the 
other hand Waikato resin is very dark or almost black. Usually it is perfectly 
clear and homogeneous, but rarely specimens may be found in which portions 
of leaves or even small insects are preserved. Most of the East Coast resin is 
of fine quality, and fetches the highest price in the market. 
Transparent or semi-transparent pieces are highly valued, and fetch the 
highest price. They are used as a substitute for amber in the manufacture of 
mouthpieces for pipes, and for carving various small ornaments, which find a 
ready sale to visitors. The ordinary kinds are chiefly used as a substitute for 
copal and mastic in the manufacture of varnishes. It is somewhat remarkable 
that this manufacture should have been so long neglected in the colony: until 
recently the resin has been sent to England or the United States, manufactured 
into varnish, and returned to the colony, notwithstanding the encouragement to 
the local producer afforded by double freights, and a protective duty of 15 per 
cent. on the manufactured article. It is gratifying to add that the manu 
facture appears to be fairly established in Auckland, and affords good promise 
of adding varnishes to our list of exports, and erasing them from our list of 
imports. 
The price of kauri-resin varies to a great extent: the digger sometimes 
receives as low as £20 per ton, rarely more than £40, so that, although the work 
