NEW ZEALAND WOODS.
Having been born and bred by parents both belonging to a long line of ancestry of timbermen,"^t was natural for me to follow their steps and occupations, and, being of a rather speculative character, I had during my stay at Home, and about 20 years of Colonial experience, tried to benefit myself and future generations by .several successful trials on Zealand trees and other products. Several years ago I built .a. woodencottage on rimu or red pine piles, and being compelled to make an. alteration four or five yea^s afterwards, I found sprue of those piles as sound, as when, putr in the ground, and others completely rotten j and. knowing that all the piles came -from* the same tree— cut near the cottage— l" examined-the piles more particularly, and ascertained the following fact: — That all- the piles'^ sunk into the ground in the way they were grown were rotten, and those that .were turned upside doAvn seasoned in the ground, and I have no doubt stand yet. . The same facts I found in other kinds of wood fencing,' more particularly in t'auri wood. About 100 miles from Auckland 1 had a saw-mill which was built about .five'., years before I came into possession"; and^ having to' do some repairs inV-a dark and- w,et place close to the ground,. l found on-some kauri posts 12 inches square a I6t of spongy growth, and on removing -some of the .sponge I found that I could put my -walking-stick; into them, being compileteti rotten.; and by a careful examination r#acettiain,ed;.the same results as I found in'ihe MjdjUfi Island., Therefore I came to this conclusion, that.t'fi'e^ trees or logs, after being "deprived, pi t#ejh\ a-oots, and put back in 'tke^&mei $t&tyiovfiix' Uhe ground, will feed through their?lja'taral ; ■esources, and this '.wiH"make the woo'S rpt Sucker than when put upside down.- New H&land has only a short period' for the season to fell timber or logs; for in the part where I came from we had and here we have only six.
weeks. • The beat time" to fell is "June, but the last, week in May and Ist. in July will do. If this was properly acted upon, kauri and totara would be equal to, if nob letter than any European or American timber. 1 have found that trees cut down in June will not shrink in length or width as the wood will do at other months, and the worm will not destroy it. I have on sevcr.tl occasions cut out of a house or office a scantling «>n which I heard the worm working or eating,* and found always that the tree was cut out of the proper season where the scantling did come from (that any experienced bushmau can tell by smell or taste). 1 also found that there was not the least sign or hole where the worm could have- gone from the out-ide, but by dressing the four sides and cutting the two ends I did come to a hole, and worms like my little finger in size, so that the tree must have bred the worm through the untimely death of the tree. I have taken out of old deserted buildings timber in this country completely perforated by worms, and, by careful examination, I found that the worm had deserted or died in it, and the adjoining piece was good and sound. 1 believe that there is only a certain time when the blood or, sap of tiie unseasonable wo>d will give food for the worms, and, if the same piece is attached to a seasoned piece, the worms will not enter the good wood. It is different with the rofc, or rust, in unseasonable! wood ; although it ■will take a long time beiore the l>-cl will affect the good wood, it will tv-msplaiit from one piece to the other, and from house to house, and destroy whole towns if buiit of wood. I also took notice that amongst the mill and bush hands there was more sickness during the time we were compelled to work this unseasonable wood. This is a matter of great importance, and should be looked into by the proper authorities. — C.y. in Southern Cross.
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Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 251, 21 November 1872, Page 5
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704NEW ZEALAND WOODS. Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 251, 21 November 1872, Page 5
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