Page:Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute - Volume 1 (2nd ed.).djvu/205

Rh case that he had to come to the conclusion that the juices of the wood contained some free acid which acted upon the iron, a supposition by no means extravagant or improbable. Owing to this circumstance, the timber of the Fagus is not so commonly seen as its quality might warrant. The wood of that most remarkable work, the bridge over the Waiauua, or Dillon River, in the Amuri, in the Province of Nelson, is from that variety of Fagus termed emphatically by the colonists the black birch, a tree with a sooty, rough stem, and minute, heart-shaped leaves, growing at low levels. Mr. Handyside, the gentleman who superintended the erection of the bridge, and to whom the greatest credit is due for the manner in which he carried out a work requiring very considerable engineering skill and great ingenuity and courage, assured me that as regarded strength, toughness, and apparent durability he could desire no better wood. It was subject, however, to the great drawbacks of rending in the sun and warping. By more careful drying, and selection of the proper season for felling the trees, (a point hardly ever attended to in this country), it is possible that these objections might be obviated, and if so, we have in the country a boundless supply of a timber admirably suited to purposes of the greatest utility.

Although not much operated on by the sawyer, the different varieties of Fagus split readily enough before the wedge, and a great quantity of fencing materials is constantly being obtained in this manner. The posts, if they contain a fair proportion of heart-wood, are found to last many years in the ground, and the rails are durable and tough. The city of Nelson is now almost entirely dependent for its supply of firewood upon the beech forests which clothe the mountain range to the eastward of the sunny nook in which it nestles. The timber is cut into convenient lengths for loading in the forest, and is then run down, by the force of gravitation, upon the rails of the Dun Mountain railway.

In the southern portions of this island a tree, which is but sparingly met with in the north, occurs much more abundantly, attains much larger dimensions, and is conspicuous for its economical applications. I refer to the kowhai, or, as it is called in the south, the gowhai (Edwardsia). The southern settlers assure me that, for posts and rails and a great variety of useful purposes, no timber can compare with that of the kowhai for strength, toughness, and durability.

I shall not be expected, in an essay of this sort, to present an elaborate or detailed account of all the useful purposes to which various members of the indigenous flora of New Zealand are applied, and must of necessity omit the mention of various trees which yield timber of more or less value. It may be sufficient to say that in the article of timber New Zealand has been richly endowed by nature; for there are few purposes to which timber is