" Mr. W.G. Smith, in a report in the
_Gardeners' Chronicle_ for July 26, 1873, p. 1017, on some foreign woods
which I submitted to him for trial, says that the wood of _Pittosporum
undulatum_ is suitable only for bold outlines; compared with box, it is
soft and tough, and requires more force to cut than box. The toughness
of the wood causes the tools to drag back, so that great care is
required in cutting to prevent the lines clipping. The average diameter
of the wood is from 18 to 30 inches.
2. _Pittosporum bicolor_, Hook.--A closely allied species, sometimes
forty feet high, native of New South Wales and Tasmania. This wood is
stated to be decidedly superior to the last named.
3. _Bursaria spinosa_, Cav.--A tree about forty feet high, native of
North, South, and West Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria,
and Tasmania, in which island it is known as boxwood. It has been
reported upon as being equal to common or inferior box, and with
further trials might be found suitable for common subjects; it has the
disadvantage, however, of blunting the edges and points of the tools.
_Natural Order Meliaceae_.
4. _Swietenia mahagoni_, L. (mahogany).--A large timber tree of
Honduras, Cuba, Central America, and Mexico.
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