C.—4

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flooring, palings, and all kinds of purposes to which good well-splitting timber is applied. It is principally used at present for verandah-posts, floors,! wool-shed floors, gates, straining-posts, hurdles, bridge-beams, and piles. Value, 17s. per 100 sup. ft. A splendid tree. Good, well-splitting timber of salmon-colour, with rough, thick, brown bark. Sheds its leaves in December. To the unlearned this tree is not easily distinguished from the black-birch in its timber. 13. Tawhai rauriki (Entire-leaved Beech). —Grows on alluvial flats and lower slopes of hills. Including all beeches, say, 10,000,000 sup. ft. in district. Good durable timber, frequently much shaken in heart. Useful for most of the purposes of Fagus fusca. Is used for posts, strainers, palings, bridgedecking. Value, 19s. per 100 sup. ft. This is probably the tree I know as " black-birch," and is much esteemed by the settlers for fencing. Like all the Fagus, it is much given to warp, cast, and crack in seasoning. 14, 15. Tawhai, Tawhai (Blair's Beech). —I do not know the difference between these two —one or both of these form the great bulk of the timber-trees in the Marlborough District. It is not durable timber, or of any considerable use except for firewood. It is almost worthless for milling purposes, owing to its costing and warping so much. 16. Maire raunui. —Grows on low country and river-flats, but is scarce. It is a very good, valuable timber for fencing or any purpose for which hard durable timber is useful; and splendid firewood. Used for posts, house-blocks, or mauls. Formerly used as journals for machinery, and for teeth of gearing-wheels. None obtainable in the market. I only know of a few of these trees in this district. There are several fine trees at the Waipapa Homestead, Clarence River, and a few scattered through the bush ; but they are rare enough to call for remark when seeing one. 19. Northern Rata. —Found from sea-level to 2,000 ft., but very scarce. Not durable when exposed to weather ; very tough when old ; good firewood. Useful for any purpose where toughness is required. None obtainable in this district. It is only occasionally met with on the hills, but does not attain the dimensions it does up north. 20. Southern Rata. —Grows op shores of sounds or lakes ; also on high dry ranges and cliffs. Scarce. Fairly durable, strong, hard wood ; good firewood ; good ship-knees and boat-ribs. Useful for wheelwrights' work, but difficult to obtain. This is a far superior timber to robusta, being harder and more lasting. 22. Manuka rauriki. —Grows from sea-level to 3,000 ft. altitude, and all over New Zealand. Plentiful. Not durable, but strong ; makes fairly good fence-rails ; good firewood ; also good wharf and bridge piles ; said to be proof against the teredo-worm in some localities. At present used chiefly for rails, firewood, and wharf-piles occasionally ; never heard of it being sawn up for milling-timber. Value, about £1 10s. per cord. A valuable and useful tree for firewood, for which purpose it is generally used. Grows well all over the Dominion. 23. Maire tawhake. —Not known from the other maire trees. 24. Kowhai. —Grows on low flats and lower slopes of hills. Formerly abundant in district, but now nearly all used. Very hard, durable timber, much esteemed for fencing-posts for any situation other than sandy soil, where it does not last very well; valuable for thrust-blocks for truss-bridges ; good plane-blocks or other such purposes ; splendid firewood. Value, £7 10s. per 100 posts. This tree was abundant in this district, but is now nearly all used. Used to grow to large size in Kaikoura district, being sometimes over 3 ft. in diameter. 25. Rimu (Red-pine). —Grows from sea-level to 2,000 ft., but generally on river-flats. About 120,000,000 sup. ft. in district. Resiny heart very durable ; other parts fairly so. Useful for all kinds of things for which good sound timber is applicable. Most generally useful timber in the country. Now used for building-construction, bridges, sashes and doors, and all kinds of work both inside and out; also used for cabinet-work. Value, from 15s. undressed per 100 sup. ft. ; tongued and grooved, 18s. 6d. per 100 sup. ft. Probably the most valuable timber we have for general purposes, and also the most beautifully figured timber in the Dominion. Will only be appreciated at its true worth for inside decoration after it has all been used up or destroyed. Useful alike for rough outside work or fine cabinetwork, but is getting rapidly worked out in this district. 26. Kahikatea. —Grows generally in low damp flats and swamps, but also on slopes of hills. About 35,000,000 sup. ft. in district. Not at all durable ; tough when green. It is useful for boxes, casks, temporary structures, templates, wheelbarrows, and other purposes where lightness is of value. Now used chiefly for butter, soap, candle, and other boxes, temporary structures, &c. Value, from 13s. to 16s. 6d. per 100 sup. ft. This timber is fairly abundant in this district, and grows into a very fine tree, frequently over 4 ft. in diameter. Trees growing on the hills are said to be of better timber, especially when of yellow colour. Owing to its liability to attack by a small beetle it is almost worthless for general building and permanent purposes, but it is valuable for all temporary work and box-making. 27. Miro toromiro. —Grows much the same as rimu. Quantity rather scarce—say, 50,000 sup. ft. Not durable, but strong. If cut by the mills it is probably sold as rimu. It would make good bridgebeams, if obtainable in suitable dimensions. Not frequently used, or, if so, sold under some other name. Slightly resembles matai to the casual observer. Is chiefly known as the tree upon which the wood-pigeon feeds during the shooting season. It is of no very great economic value, owing to its scarcity. 28. Tanekaha. —Found from sea-level to 2,000 ft. Scarce. Not very durable ; strong, tough wood ; very good for sprits, masts, and booms of boats. Bark used for tanning, saplings for boats, spars, poles, &c. Ido not know the distinction between tanekaha and toatoa. The latter is, according to my experience, the Ngatikahungunu name for tanekaha. Under this name it is found abundantly— in the forest up the Hoe, Waikaremoana, &c, where the Natives use the bark as medicine.