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A Magnificent Forest

A Magnificent Forest image
Parent Issue
Day
9
Month
December
Year
1881
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The well-known naturalist, Ilenry A. Ward, of Rochester, lias been for the past vear traveling and collectlng In Australia, New Zealand, and some parts of the West I ndies. In a letter recetved trom blm by his triends, he gives the following interestiiii.' account of a pine forest in Australia. It is probably the most vivid deacrlptlon and at the saine time accurate aecount ever written of the source whencc is obtained the Damnmra of commerce: "I have been making several excursions in the northern Mand in eonncction with my collections of natural liistory specimens. In one of tliese, not far trom Aueklund. I lirst visited a forest of tlie Knurl pino, Daminura Australia. What tht: fanums Lebaiian cedar is, or used to be, in those niMJMvtio forauU) whioh la wnoiont timos furnislied the material for the vessels of PhceDiciant and the timber for Solomon's Temple, or what the mammoth Sequoia is- the giants among the wood giants of California- the same is for the warm northern end of New Zealand the celebrated and beautiful Kauri. It furnishes the best ships' masts and spars wliich ore obtainahlc by the British Navy. I think that 1 uever cntered a forest so fine to walk la and to look up at the dark green rooi' thxough which the light of day struggles in at the sparsely sprinkled p'luees like twinkling stars. The i'oliage is not remarkably grace ful, growing on the ends of the branches like llttle tufts on bushes. But the trunk is magnificent. It rises perfectly cyliiulriciil mul almost imperceptibly tapering, asa majestic pillar whose beautiful stature is disturbed by no side branches until it has attained its full height of 100 to 150 feet. Then the branches, of even larger proportions than the height would promise, spring out at right angles and turn op from their llat, radiating plañe a series of small limbs which bear no verdure. Tlie timber is much like our yellow pine, but is roffined with a resinous gum to a degree which I think is unknown ftlsBwl.-.. ;- v- - lame KingOom. In some S])ecimens of the freshly fclled trees I saw resin lying like fat meat in solid layers from one-half to two inches tuick. Tliis Kauri gum is au article of great demand for the manufacture of tlie so-called Dan) mare varnish, and thousands of persons are engaged in its coüection. Strange to say, it is of no value as it oozes, soft and milky, from the tree. It must have time - centuries of time -for attaining that solidity and amber-like appearance which marks the only good quality. In short, the gum is nut gotten from the tree itself, but is dufi for in ' the ground like potatoes. The tree grows slowly, lives iu lifetime, dies, falls, and rots entirely sway. Then, when centuries have elapsed, and there may be no Kauri tree in the neighborbood within many miles, the gum is iound beneath the soil. Burtal and moisture of the earth have oprróded :'s outer surface, but have given its inner part great density and clearness. In short ii 11 a wasting ot'tlic incire cthrival oi-ganic elemDiits, anda semi-mineralization similar to what has transpired in the case of amber - than which this gum is but slightly leM hard and beautifully clear. Sevcml thousand native and white Kauri gum seekers are spread through the forwtl and over the heat hs searchlng for this hulden treasure, proddlog with a long spear till they teel it, and then dlgglng it upwtth spade and piek. Hundreds of thousands of tons probalily still lie buried beneath the soil of this nortliein islaml. where alone this Kmiri tree has ever grown. As in the case of guano, this gum is a product whicli is still originating by modern growth, but which accumulates so slowly that it will probably in v, r be utilized after what may be called the fossil store of it is exhaustêd. At present it forms, after wool and flax, the most important export of New Zealaodi amountlug to a value of about $800,0(M) pur rear. -

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Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News