Page:A primer of forestry, with illustrations of the principal forest trees of Western Australia.djvu/43

57 and it is expected that many interesting new trees will be discovered there. The South-West is the region in which are found the great forests upon which the State's reputation as a producer of the highest class of timber depends. The coloured map at the end of this booklet shows the areas occupied by the main timbers. It must be understood, however, that in any area coloured as being occupied, by a certain class, other trees of different classes are also found. Jarrah, for instance, exists in abundance in the region coloured pink; it is there the dominant tree, and for miles, with the exception of Main, no other kind of tree is to be found. But in other parts other trees occur, mostly in single specimens or in small groups, and more especially is this the case towards the outer limits of the jarrah area. And jarrah itself is not absolutely confined to the area, marked as its own; scattered specimens are found for Jong distances outside that area. The same is true in a lesser degree of karri, wandoo, and some other eucalpyts. Tuart, on the other hand, confines itself strictly to the region marked as its own—that is the long narrow limestone ridge near the coast extending from the neighbourhood of Busselton in the South, to about 30 miles north of Perth. Tingle-tingle is very restricted in its habitat, not being found outside an area of about 350 square miles in extent, running from the Bow river on the East to the Deep river on the West of Nornalup Inlet. Wandoo is found as a fringe all round the prime jarrah belt and to the eastward of it in single trees or clumps. At Clackline on alienated land there are considerable stretches of wandoo, sufficiently dense to deserve recognition as a prime wandoo forest. Salmon gum and gimlet are spread over a wide area, particularly in the Eastern Districts and on the goldfields, and she-oak is confined to the jarrah belt and gives place to karri oak in the karri belt. It is not usual in Western Australia to apply the term "forest" to trees other than jarrah, karri and tuart; the other eucalypts, as well as the casuarinas, acacias, banksia, etc., not occurring in masses large enough and dense enough to render the term applicable.

SHORT DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PRINCIPAL TREES OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND THEIR USES.

Most of the trees in the Western Australian forests are distinctive; that is, each has a character of its own, differentiating it in appearance from the others, so that once anyone has seen it it is not difficult again to recognise and name it. There are others which, in many respects so far as the uninitiated are concerned, resemble each other and can only be readily identified after some practical bush knowledge has been gained. Identification from the scientific point of view is (mite another affair. The scientist is not prepared to admit that, because trees look very much alike, therefore they belong to the same family and are identical. The botanist has methods of determining trees which leave no room for doubt. The trunk of a tree to all outside appearance may be precisely similar to one standing some yards off. Its branches may appear to be the same also, as well as the bark, but any doubt on the question can be instantly set at rest by an examination of the flowers, fruit and leaves. It is they that tell the true story of the tree, and the story they tell is one that never goes astray. But it is not possible without a considerable amount of scientfic training to undertake, or to understand for that matter, the botanical enquiries which are necessary. Most people in the bush identify trees by an experience born of a longer or shorter period, and in the vast majority of cases such people correctly name the trees. It would be beyond the scope of this publication to deal with the question from the botanist's point of view. The most that can be done is by short descriptive matter and by illustrations.