OUR TIMBER.

Dunstan Times, Issue 701, 24 September 1875, Page 3

OUR TIMBER.

Bern" notes on the vegetable products of Tasmania, prepared for the International Exhibition of 1862, by William Archer, F.L.S. The principal timber trees of Tasmania, such as the blue gum, stringy bark, white gum, or gum topped stringy bark, swamp gum, and peppermint tree, —furnish a hard, close grained, an.l strong timber, which is ■ used in ship-building and honse-build-ing, and generally for all the purposes to which oak is applied iu England. Huon pine is very durable, and is employed for boat-building, for which it is peculiarly adapted, and for housefittings, Ac. Black wood makes excellent naves, spokes, cask staves, &c. Native myrtle is valuable for house fittings. Swamp gum yields the finest palings and other split stuff in the world. Sassafras affords timber for house-fittings, bench-screws lasts, &c. Celery-topped pine is chiefly used for masts, and ship’s spars. The different kinds of timber in the following list are arranged according to their value. The diameter of the tree? is measured at the height of four feet from the ground. Blue Gum —(Eucalyptus Globulus I ab.) —The common name is derived from the bluish-grey color of the young plants. Diameter, sto 30 feet ; average of those felled for use, G feet. Height, 150 to 350 feet; sp. grav. about -945 to 1.065. Abundant in the southern and south-western parts of the island. Cut for house building it sells at 8s to 10s per 100 superficial feet—for ship building nt 12s to 14s. Stringy Bark.—(Eucalyptus gigantea, Hook, fils.) —Common name taken from the coarse fibrous bark. Gif' Continued on Page Four.)

araeter, 4 to 24 foot; average of those sawn about sto G feet.' Height, 150 to 300 feet. Sp. gvav. about '905. Abundant everywhere upon hilly ground. Price, the same us that of blue gum. Swamp Gum. — White Gum.—(Eucalyptus viminalis, Lab.) —Common names, from its growing to perfection in humid situations, and from its gigantic white trunk. Diameter, 4ft to lßfc ; average between 5 and 6 feet Height, 15t)ft to 300 f t; sp. grav. about -885. Growing in forests with other kinds of “ eucalyptus, ” in rather humid localities. A small variety called the manna tree grows abundantly about Hobart Town and in other places, on dry ground. Price, for general purposes, the same as that of blus gum; sft palings, 8s to 10s per 100. Gum-topped Stringy Ba"k, sometimes called White Gum.—(Eucalyptus gigantea, var.)—A tree resembling the blue gum in foliage, with rough bark similar to stringy bai’k towards the stem. It has been found recently that this wood possesses nearly all the properties of strength, soliclity, and durability of the blue gum whilst being straight grained, it is much to work. It is very abundant about D’Entrecasteaux Channel. Price, about the same as blue gum. Peppermint TREE.—(Eucalyptus amygaalina, Lab) —Common name from the color of the leaves. Diameter, 3to 8 feet ; average about 4 feet. Height, 100 to 150 feet ; sp. gr. about •895. The peppermint tree abounds throughout the island, cn gravelly and other poor soil Price, about the same •as that of swamp gum. Huon Pine —(Dacrydium Franklinii, Hook, fil.) —So called because it was first discovered on the banks of the Huon river. Diameter, 3 to 8 feet; average, from 4to 5 feet. Height 50 to 120 feet; sp. gr., about '650. Abundant in portions of the south western parts of the island. Price, about 16s per 100 superficial feet in the leg. Blackwood. —(Acacia melanoxylon Br.) —So called from the dark brown color of the mature wood which becomes black when washed with limewater. In most shaded localities the tree grows more rapidly, and the wood is of a much lighter color. Hence this variety is called “ lightwood,” (in Hobart Town), to distinguish it from the other. Diameter, Ito 4 feet ; average, about 2|- feet. Height, 60 to 130 feet. Sp. grav. about - 885. Pound throughout the islaud, but not abundantly in any one locality. Price about 12s to 14s per 100 feet super, in the log. Native Myrtle —(Fagus Cunninghamii, Hook.) —Common name from the fancied resemblance of its dark green leaves to those of the myrtle. Diameter, 2to 9 feet," average, about 3J- feet. Height, 60* to 180 feet fp. grav. about - 795. The native myrtle evisrs in great abundance throughout the western half of the island, growing in forests to a great size, in humid situations. Price, about 16s per 100 feet super, in the log. Celery-topped Pine.—(Phillocladus rhomboidalis, Rich.) —So called from the fancied similarity in form of the upper part of the brauchlets to celery. Diameter, 1J to 2 feet: average, about 11 feet. Height. 60 to 150 feet. Sp. grav. about -655. Bather common in damp forests in the southern parts of the island, and in some sub-alpine localities. ornamental woods. The different kinds of wood included in the following list are all in ■constant use for cabinet and fancy work. They are arranged according to their value. The finest specimens •ofnative myrtle, musk-wood, Huon Pine, and blackwood, exhibit qualities of the highest excellence, both in tint and variety of venation. Native Myrtle. —(Fagus Cunninghamii, Hook.) Musk-wood. —(Eurybia argophylla, Gass.) Named from the musky odor of the plant. Diameter, 6 to 15 inches—the butt enlarging towards the ground to H-, and even feet, height, 15 to 30 feet. Spec. grav. •about -CBS. Abundant throughout the island in damp localities. Huon Pine. —(Dacrydium Franklinii, Hook, fils.) Blackwood. —(Acacia melanoxylon Br. She Oak. —(Casuarina quadrivalvis, Lab.) —A portion of the common name is evidently derived from the resemblance of the markings to those of oak. Diameter, 1 to 1£ foot. Height, 20 to 30 feet. Spec, grav., about •845. Very common on dry stony hills, excepting in the north-western ■districts. He Oak. —(Casuarina suberosa, Otto.) Diameter, 9in. to 15in. Height, 20ft to 25ft. Spec, grav., about -855. •Common on stony lulls. Honeysuckle Tree. Banksia Australis, Br.) —Named from the large quantity of honey in the flowers. Diameter, IJft to 2|ft. Heiaht, 20ftflo 40ft. Sp. gr , about -645. Abun<larit on sandy soil. Dogwood. — (Bedfordia salicina, D. C.) —Diametei’, 6in to 16in. Height, ISftto 25ft. Sp. grav. about - 955, Common, of small size, but rare of large proportions. Native Laurel —(Anopterus glandulosns, Lab). So named from its laurel like loaves Diameter, 6 to 10 inches. Height, 15 to 22 feet. Sp. ■grav. about -675.. Tolerably abundant in some subalphiue localities.

Blue Gum. —(Eucalyptus globulus, Lab.) —Curly-grained variety. Peppermint.— (Eucalyptus araygdolina, Lab.) —Some specimens of this timber have a fine wavy marking, useful woods. Silver Wattle— (Acacia dealbata, Lind I.) —So called from the whiteness of the trunk, and the silvery green of the foliage. Used for cask staves and treenails. Diameter, 1J to 2J feet Height, 60 to 120 feet. Sp. grav. about -965. Very common. Iron Wood (Tasmanian) — (NoteItea ligustrina, Vent.) —An exceedingly hard clbse grained wood, used for mallets, sheaves of blocks, turnery, &c. Diameter, 9to 18 inches. Height, 20 to 35 feet. Sp. grav. about ’965. Not uncommon. SwampTea-Tree—(Melaleucaericce-folio, Sm.) —So called, probably, because the leaves are an allied plant (Leptospermnm lanigerum, Sm.) with similar bark, are said to have been used as a substitute for tea. Diametei’, 9to 20 inches. Height, 20 to 60 feet. Sp. grav. about -824, Used tor turnery chiefly. Native Cherry— (Exoearpus cupressiformis, Lab ) —So named because the color of the fruit is similar to that Of a Kentish cherry. Diameter, 9to 15 inches. Height, 20 to 30 feet. Sp. grav. about -785. Used for tool handles, spokes, gunstocks, &c. White Wood (Pittosporum bicolor, Hook, —Wood white. Diameter, Bto 13 inches. Height, 20 to 35 feet. Sp. grav. about -875. Used in turnery. This wood is successfully used for wood engraving. Native Box —(Bursaria spinosa, Cav) —The leaves are somewhat like those of English box. Diameter, Bto 12 inches. Height, 15 to 25 feet Sp. grav. about -825. Used for turnery. Pink-wood —(Beyeria viscosa—Crotonviscosum, Lab).—Diameter, 6 t<> 10 inches. Height, 15 to 25 feet. Sp. grav. about -815. Used for sheaves of blocks, and for turnery. Native Pear— (Hakea hssosperma, Br). —The woody seed vessel is somewhat pear shaped. Diameter, Bto 12 inches. Height, 29 to 30 feet. Sp. grav. about -H75. Fit for turnery. SCENTED WOODS. Tonga Bean Wood— (Alyxia buxifolia, Br.) —The odor is similar to that of the tonga bean (Dipteryx odorata). A stragling sea-side shrub, 3 inches to 5 inches in diameter. Native Box -- (Bursaria spinosa, Cav.)—The scent is pleasant but fleeting. tanning bark. Wattle Bark.—The bark of the black wattle (Acacia mollissima, Willd) the silver wattle (Acacia dealbata, Lindl) and the blackwood tree (Acacia melanoxylon, Br.) The first named yields the most valuable bark, and is common on dry stony hills. FIBRES. Cureajong,— (Plagianthus sidoides, Hook.) —The fibres of the bark are very strong. It is a large shrub, found chiefly on the southern side of the island, in ravines and shady places, and grows rapidly. Lyonsia. — (Lyonsia stramiea, Br.— Fibres of the bark fine and strong. The lyons’a is met with rather sparingly, in dense thickets, with its stems hanging like ropes among the trees. Blue Gum.— (Eucalyptus globulus, Lab.) —The bark of this immense tree yields a fibre which may, probably, be found available for making the coarser kinds of paper. Stringy Bark.— (Eucalyptus gigantea, Hook, fil,)—The fibres of the ba>k are similar to those of the blue gum bark, but are not strong or so fine. Fibrous Grass.— (Stipa semi barbata, Br.)—After the seed has ripened the upper part of the stem breaks up into fibre, which curls loosely and hangs down, waving in the wind. The condition of the fibre at this time is undoubtedly far inferior to what it would be if rightly prepared. Common in some localities. GUM. Kino.— This gum, which seems to have similar properties to those of the East Indian “ kino,” exudes from the woods of all the Tasmanian species of Eucalyptus. Wattle Gum, the gum of the Silver Wattle. (Ocacia dealbata, Lindl,,) is exceedingly viscous, and, probably, quite as useful as gum arabic. The gum of the black wattle (Acacia mollissima, Willd.), which is often mixed with the other, is very inferior to it, being less viscous, SUNDRY PRODUCTS. Prickly Fern Tree. —(Alsophila Australis, Br,) —This very handsome fern tree occasionally attains a height of 30 feet. It is not, by any means, so common a-fern tree as Dicksonia antarctica (Lab.) Pith of Rushes. Tins is the pith of the largest Tasmanian rush (Juncus vaginatus, Br.) It is not rare. This pith is made up in Hobart Town into head-dresses, Gelatinous Seaweed.— (Gracilaria sp)—This Alga, which may, perhaps, be regarded as a variety of G. confervoides (Grev.), is occasionally used for making jelly, ft abounds on the shoi’es of Sloping (or Slopen) Islands, in Frederick Hendrick Bay. Native Bread.— (Mylitta Australis Berk) —An insipid, underground fungus, which sends up no stem, and is generally met with by accident. When growing rapidly it sometimes causes the ground to crack, and may thus be discovered by a careful observer, as it probably was by the aborigines, who used it as food.