CANTERBURY PLANTATION BOARD

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1301, 29 July 1886, Page 2

CANTERBURY PLANTATION BOARD

The following report by the Ohalrmin of the Canterbury Plantation Board is appended to the annual report issued from the Crown Lands Department:— Windermere, 6th July, 1886.

Sir, — I have the honor to enclose a memorandum giving particulars of the work executed by the Canterbury P antatlon Board during the season of 1885. From this it will be seen that the total area dealt with amounted to 621 acres, of which 167 acres were sown with bluegum seed, 100 acres with wattle-seed, and 268 acres were planted with tree* of various kinds and In various proportions, according to soil and climate ; whilst 95 acres were fenced only and bnt partially broken up, the work being stopped by the dry weather. The 85 acres at Hororata were planted with one-half larch, one-fourth insigni*, and one twelfth each of A.bies excelsa, P. austriaca, and P. laricio ; the insignis being planted as nnrses for the others. With the exception of the wattlesowings, all the work has been successful. The planting-out of the pines has, for the most part, been done by contract - , under guarantee from the several nurserymen io replace all the plants that should die ; and, considering the exceptionally dry season, a very small percentage of the plants required renewal. The 127 acres at North Rakaia and Bankslde which were sown with gum-seed show a much larger number of young plants than usual. Whether this is attributable to the extra warmth of the seas->n favoring the germination of the seed, or to the seed being of better quality, I am unable to determine ; perhapi it is due, in part, to both causes; and It is satisfactory to know that a large part of the seed we a collected from trees growing around Christchurch. It la matter for regret to find that P. Silvestri s, P. phmshr, and P. austriaca are all subject to a blight for which there appears to be no remedy short of cutting down the trees.

The Board planted considerable quantities of P. ausiriaea in the seison of 1884, under the impression that it was free from the disease which had attacked tha other two.

From personal observation It is clear that tha three pines above named are badly blighted, and should be struck out of all lists for planting In this district During tha last season the Board have planted insignis only as nurses for the more valuable nines, for which ■ its rapid growth commends it In order to protect from fire the plantations adj 'cant to the railway line, I had a strip cf land, about 20ft wide, ploughed round each plantation between Ohertsey and Ashburton. Although this ploughing extended a few yards beyond the limits of the i Isolations, I regret to have to report that two of the blocks were much damaged by fire ; but the trees, being all gum trees, have since made a strong growth from the roots.

Owing to the exceptional dryness of the season, the fire, after burning the tussocks up to the ploughed land, appears to have crept alone the hedge-row, burning straw by straw until reaching the fences surrounding tha plantations. To prevent similar destruction in future, greater care must be observed to surround the plantations by strips of land to be kept fallow or sown with wh ta clover only. As this is the last report which I shall have the pleasure of sending you, I desire to express my entire concurrence with the proposal to vest all the plantation reserves in tha Connells of the several counties within which they are situated. This step should secure a larger amount of interest in the work, which has hitherto been carried on by only three or four enthusiasts. It will, perhaps, also bring more eyes to bear upon the public plantations to protect them from injury.

I have, &0., Edward 6. Wright, Chairman.

J. McKotow, Esq., Surveyor-General, Wellington.

Work Executed, Season 1885,

Rakaia, fifty-seven acres fenced and sown with gum-seed ; Bankslde, seventy acres fenced, and cown with gnm-seed ; Reserve No. 1742, fifteen acres fenced, and sown with gum-seed ; Reserve No. 1741, twenty-five acres fenced, and sown with gum-seed; Reserve No. 1770 (Ashburton), (forty [acres pleached, and sown with wattle ; [.Reserve No. 2589 (Mayfield), forty sores ploughed, and sown with wattle ; Reserve No. 2591 (Mayfield), ninety-six acres fenced, thirty-seven acres broken up only ; Reserve No. 2564 twenty acres ploughed, and re-sown with wattle; Hororata, eighty-five acres, planted with 30,600 pines; Bluff, Coalgate, ten and a half acres, planted with 3780 pines ; Reserve No. 1767 (Wakanui), twenty-five acres planted with 7500 ; pines; Reserve No. 1782 (Winslow), twenty acres, planted with 7000 pines; Reserve No. 1770 (Ashburton), twenty acres planted whh 7000 pines; Reserve No. 2565 (Valetts), forty acres, planted with 10,000 pines (filled); Reserve No, 2564 (Anama), forty acres, planted with 10,000 pines (filled); Reserve No. 1905 (Tinwald), fonr acres, planted with 1200 pines; Reserve No 1782 (Winslow), thirteen and a half acres, planted with 5000 pines ; total acreage dealt with, six hundred and twenty-one acres, g