TREE PLANTING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 161, 1 April 1908, Page 2

TREE PLANTING.

WILL IT PAY? jt.mll sMn be time, for tree, planting." i\hat inducement is there on your particular farm to plant trees? lhe Chief Forester in a book on "Tree Planting," issued by tho i'orestry Departnient, mentions a number of inducements .which; may apply. He, likens tree planting to a lifo insurance-policy[ which gives no immediate return, but is accumulating value fof the. future. "In from ten to nfteeii years from tho time of planting 'all the fuel and fencing material necessary for farm use can be had for.'the cutting, without in any way interfering with, but, on the contrary, being ail; actual benefit to, the remaining trees." . Tho, Chief Forester cites a: Canterbury case of print from trees oil ." poor dry soil," which seems to contain just tho kind of information the farmer wants. To make the story quite clear we tabulate it:—■ . OUTLAY. .!. ' £ Cost of land per aero ', v > ... ... £2 Cost.of trees and-planting (300 Eng- , • lish laich) per acre .... ... 12 Cost-of attention for 17 years , ... ... 1 Total cost ... £15 Tho figures stated do hot appear to quite cover all the expenses. Rates and compound interest on all expenditure for 17 years would' need ito be. addedj and they- would mako a substantial sum—at lfeast, three times .the original outlay. On tho other hand, the tre&s are Unfairly saddled with, the original •cost. of the land. , But even so,: tho total cost, would not exceed about £50. Look.'.at' tho profit. Each..tree at 1? years old .was oapablo of-'yielding two straining: posts' Bft. long by lOin. thick, arid four, posts' 6ft. .by. '6in. The cost of such posts (it-purchased), delivered on. the farm, would be 6s. each for the strainers, and 2s. each for the others. So the value works out thus •-'i--.'-/INCOME. '; -,-6 posts per" tree from 300 trees worth ; £1 per tree ... ... . . ... . ... '£300 Less-(at 2s, per tree) for felling arid : -v . ' cutting ; '... ... ;.. . ■ ;.. ' .30 Net total ... ■ ■ . .;. £270 These figures shoiv a profit of £220.0ver the , outlay. An. adjoining paddock,; let'.for: grazing, at 2s« per acre,'yielded, £l'l4s : jn rents'during the 17 years, while the. trees were yielding £240. It will be; a queer farm that hasn't,one acre that can be conveniently devoted to trees, wherfe.stock may get shade from) the' sun or shelter from the wind. Or the trees, may be'plantedin 'shelter.."-belts, arid servo a double purpose. Planted the samo ,distance. :apart (12ft.) the'/3()0;'. trees Would occupy,.about 55. Chains,, or less than three-quarters ;of a, - mi1e..... Good shelter, though it cccupic's part of the land,, increases the carrying 'capacity of the. remainder by the protection.it,affords to stock and crops.